


Angry Omegas

by unmaskedirony



Series: These Omegas Aren't Broken [1]
Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: Alpha Geoff Ramsey, Alpha Ryan Haywood, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alpha/Omega, Alternate Universe, Asexual Character, Asexuality, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, M/M, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Omega Michael Jones, Omega Ray Narvaez Jr., Omega Verse, Scenting, Slow Build, author prolongs romance as long as possible
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-22
Updated: 2019-01-13
Packaged: 2019-09-24 11:16:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 27
Words: 44,964
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17099585
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/unmaskedirony/pseuds/unmaskedirony
Summary: Michael led him to their door and knocked, and Geoff experienced a brief moment of panic. What would the alpha say to him? Would he be mad that he basically carried his omega here, since his scent was probably on the lad now? How would the man take to him yelling at him to keep track of his lad’s heat cycles?All of these questions flew out the door when it opened. He stared into the face of a wide-eyed lad, and he /smelled/ the pheromones. “You’re an omega,” he couldn’t help but blurt out.





	1. Geoff Tries To Help

Geoff entered through the office doorway and was immediately hit by the smell of an omega in heat. He backed out of the office, retreating into fresh air as he suppressed any alpha instincts that arose from the scent. Who the fuck could that be? It was strong as dicks, but he thought he knew the scent of all the omegas in the office by now. 

Forcing himself to breathe through his mouth, he re entered the office in search of the culprit. He couldn’t be more thankful that it was 1pm; almost everyone was out on their lunch breaks. If any of the other alphas were around, things could get problematic real fast.

He peered in a variety of cubicles before spotting Jones, a fairly new hire, sitting slumped over at his desk. “Jones?” Geoff had been convinced the small feisty lad was an alpha, given his confident, in-your-face personality. The lad didn’t acknowledge him, he took a tentative step closer, “Michael? You alright?”

Finally, the worker shifted, “-’m fine. Finishing up that report for you.” His words were slurred, and he didn’t even open his eyes to look at his boss. It was clear that he wasn’t actually doing any work, and if he stuck around no one else would get work done either.

Even still, he wanted to be sure that it was Michael; he had a hard time believing that the lad was an omega, “...Are you in heat?”

The reply was instantaneous, “62nd amendment bitch.” The recently added amendment stated that individuals did not have to disclose their status in the workplace. However, as Michael sat up and the alpha was hit with another desirable wave, the answer became obvious, “Come on, you need to go home and rest.”

The lad, eyes glassy and unfocused, still managed to protest, “Geoff, I’m fine-”

“You’re going home,” he insisted, using a bit of authority, “You can get paid time off for heats, it’s fine.” How on Earth did the lad even get here today? Surely he must’ve known this was coming, “Do you want to call your alpha to come get you?”

Michael mumbled unintelligibly.

He sighed, “Do you want /me/ to call your alpha?”

After a moment, Michael finally caved in, “No car. We take the bus.”

Great- there was no way he could let the omega ride the bus in this state. People would be all over him. What kind of alpha let him go to work right before a heat? “Come on,” he gestured, “I’ll drive you.” The kid would make his car reek for days, but it was safer and faster, and Michael looked ready to pass out.  
\---  
Geoff basically had to carry Michael to his car, buckle him in, and hold a conversation with himself the entire ride there. He was crossing so many employer-worker lines by driving the lad in heat, but he wouldn’t be able to live with himself if he let the boy ride public transportation. It was good they got out when they did too; as they were pulling out of the driveway, Geoff spotted a rather immature group of alphas heading inside the building.

He reprimanded the boy even though he probably wasn’t listening, “You have to take care of yourself. It isn’t safe for an omega to be out and about in heat.” He’d seen too many news stories of mateless omegas getting hurt and taken advantage of when they were helpless to stop it, “I’m going to assume you didn’t realize today was the day you were going into heat, but from now on you need to be more careful. Your alpha should be keeping track too.”

They pulled into the apartment complex listed as Michael’s home address,and Geoff swallowed hard. He wasn’t going to lie- it was sketchy. He could picture some shady shit going down in this tall brick building.

He helped Michael out of the car and into his building. Thank fucking christ there was an elevator to spare them from scaling the steps to the fourth floor. The only problem with the lift was that it was an enclosed space, and /damn/ Michael smelled good. Michael smelled like a tropical vacation, and it took a lot of willpower to hold back. 

Michael led him to their door and knocked, and Geoff experienced a brief moment of panic. What would the alpha say to him? Would he be mad that he basically carried his omega here, since his scent was probably on the lad now? How would the man take to him yelling at him to keep track of his lad’s heat cycles?

All of these questions flew out the door when it opened. He stared into the face of a wide-eyed lad, and he /smelled/ the pheromones. “You’re an omega,” he couldn’t help but blurt out.

The stranger seemed just as shocked to see him,but quickly seemed to puff out his chest and seem alpha-like, “Who the fuck are you?” Michael quite literally pushed his way out of Geoff’s arms, clinging on to his….roommate? Friend? “You have a problem with omegas? What were you doing with Michael?”

The gent didn’t quite know what to say. Michael should be with his alpha right now, but yet there was no alpha in sight. The whole apartment in front of him reeked of omega too- no scent of an alpha at all, “H- He’s in heat. He was stinking up the whole office, so I brought him home. Who are /you/?”

The lad’s face morphed into a frown, “Heat? But-” he looked down at the heavy lidded omega, “You’re early. You weren’t supposed to get it for two more weeks. Is the new batch of suppressants bad?” He led the curly-haired lad over to the couch to lay him down, and Geoff took the initiative to step inside. It would make more sense if Michael were taking suppressants.

Michael chuckled, “Nah. Stopped taking ‘em.” 

Geoff was about to yell at him for being irresponsible, but the stranger beat him to the punch, “Michael, you fuck,” he growled, “You know you don’t take them for shits and giggles. What the fuck are we going to do now?”

Geoff intervened, sick of being confused, “What do you mean ‘what the fuck are you going to do’? Aren’t you his mate? Take care of him!” He’d heard of strange same-status couples before, but they almost never worked out. Alphas would get too controlling and omegas would be vulnerable in public, since they would smell unclaimed to everyone else.

The dark haired lad ran his fingers through his hair in frustration, “I’m not his mate. We don’t /have/ mates. We take care of each other when we need to, but we’re just friends.”

It was shocking to see to meet not one but /two/ omegas without mates. Most eligible young omegas were claimed within months of presenting. He cleared his head- he could think about the logistics of it later, “Well just take care of him then. If its worked for you two before there shouldn’t be much of a problem.”

“It wouldn’t be a problem if just took his suppressants like a /normal fucking omega/,” he spoke louder so that Michael could hear, and the lad mumbled something incoherent back, “But he’s off schedule now. I’m supposed to start my heat cycle tomorrow too.” He crossed his arms, taking an out-of-place step back from the gent.

Geoff was already past the line, and decided to delve even further into his employee’s affairs, “You can’t take care of him if you’re both lust-drunk…. Do you have any alpha friends who could help out?” 

“No,” the roommate answered almost /too/ fast, “We’ll figure it out though. Thanks for bringing him home-”

“Wait-” he couldn’t just leave his employee in this state, “You guys need to have someone to make sure you guys are eating. And showering. Alphas are there for a reason-”

“We don’t need an alpha!” The lad shouted at him, forcing him back a step. He seemed infuriated by Geoff’s comment, “We’ll be fine.” 

Part of Geoff knew that he should walk away. He couldn’t control the situation, nor was it really any of his business.

The other part of him knew it was bullshit, “Like hell you will be. I wouldn’t be surprised if the smell of you two in heat brings every knot-crazy alpha in this building to your door. You expect that you’ll be able to deal with them too?”

To that, the lad didn’t seem to have an answer. Geoff’s expression softened, “What’s your name?”

He didn’t look Geoff in the eye, and contemplated giving the information for a good minute, “Ray.”

“Ray, I promise I’m not trying to be an intrusive asshole,” he offered a slight smile, sensing that the omega really didn’t like him, “But it wouldn’t feel right leaving you two here. It’s too risky to let two omegas go through their heat /alone/. Someone needs to be there to keep you from going too long without taking care of yourselves. And someone needs to be there to make sure no alphas come sniffing- /especially/ in an apartment complex.” He peered over at Michael, who had pulled himself off the couch and reattached himself to his friend, “Ray I’m sorryyyy,” he groaned, pressing his face against the lad’s back.

Ray, after a long moment of deliberation, pulled out his phone and handed it to the gent, skillfully avoiding physical contact, “Enter your phone number. I’ll call if we need anything.”

It wasn’t much, but Geoff would take it. He entered his number in, setting it as an emergency contact as well, “Seriously, don’t hesitate to call.”


	2. Geoff Negotiates with Pizza

Geoff couldn’t wait for a call. He couldn’t help it- he knew that Michael would be helpless as fuck in heat, and for some reason his roommate Ray was dead set against having an alpha around. It was just too dangerous to leave them in that sketchy building with no way of knowing if they were taking care of themselves or not. As a surrogate alpha to a few friends, he knew how dazed and lusty an omega could get; two in heat at the same time could be trouble.

It was five a.m., and he showed up at the lad’s door with a large box of pizza. Even if they took the food and shut the door on him, he’d at least know they had some food prepared for the time being. He knew that Michael was probably falling into the thick of his heat, and he wondered if anyone would answer the door at all.

To his relief, his roommate answered, only looking a bit disheveled, “What the fuck are you doing here?” 

Geoff took a good look at the lad- or, better, a /whiff/ of him. He smelled like a potent mix of tangerine (Michael for sure) and a stronger warm cinnamon bun. He was sweating and a bit jittery- his heat had begun, “I didn’t feel right about leaving you two.”

His gaze was hard, “I have your number-”

“But would you actually be able to call it when your instincts take over?” Omegas could barely feed themselves, much less scroll through their phones. “Please let me help out- I just want to make sure you both are okay.” He extended out the steaming box,”I bought you pizza.”

Ray deliberated for a long time. Geoff shifted on his feet once or twice,trying to ignore the absolutely delectable scents coming from their apartment. If the lad agreed, he’d have to buy nose plugs. 

Finally, Ray stepped aside, letting him inside, “Go sit on the couch.” Despite the conflicting feelings about being bossed around by an omega, he complied. He brushed past Ray, who looked like he was going to pass out any second from pain, and sat on their old springy couch.

The omega disappeared for a moment, and Geoff was hit by a wave of second thoughts. He would have to take care of these two- one was an absolute stranger- and control his own instincts at the same time. He’d have his work cut out for him, knowing how much of a handful his coworker was on his own. 

He heard rummaging through drawers, and the lanky lad finally joined him, sitting on the chair across from him with a pen and paper in hand, “I have conditions. There is no fucking way I’m letting you into this house unless it’s on my terms.” Geoff nodded, unsurprised that he wanted to make the rules clear.

The groggy omega began writing things down, “One. You’re not allowed in the house from 11pm to 7am. No exceptions.”

“That’s fair.”

“Two. Unless you are getting us food or reminding us to do something, you can’t be in the same room as us.”

This prompted some concerns, “But what if-”

The lad wasn’t having it, “No buts. There has to be a door separating us unless absolutely necessary.” He bent over for a second, letting out a small whimper that tugged at his heartstrings. How he was still functioning, Geoff would never know.

He sighed in defeat- even that was better than nothing, “”Anything else?”

“Don’t touch us.”

He rolled his eyes, “I wasn’t planning on it.”

Ray bristled, “I mean at all. Don’t touch me, and don’t touch Michael. If I even smell your drunk-ass scent on my clothes I will find a way to get you fired for exploiting an employee.”

“Sheesh, what kind of knothead do you take me for? What happens when you two are begging to be grounded by an alpha?” It happened a lot; even the most stubborn of omegas would lose themselves to pain and desperation and beg for an alpha’s care. He’d served as a proxy alpha to enough friends to see it happen.

“That won’t happen,” he assured, “Michael and I have been fine with each other for a long time.” He continued to write down the conditions, “ Four. You have to answer the door, just in case an alpha shows up from the smell.”

“No problem. Did you want me to bring over some laundry or something so they don’t try to challenge-”

“I don’t give a shit,” the lad /growled/ clearly in a fair amount of pain, “Just don’t let any assholes in.” Ray bit down on his lower lip, doubling over in pain. A normal omega would’ve been long past rational at this point- why wasn’t he? How was Ray managing to keep it together?

Geoff was about to cut him off and ask him if he needed anything /now/, but the lad managed ro recover with quick, deliberate breaths. He looked down at his notes, “/Five/-”

“What, don’t breathe in the house? Dude I’m not going to do anything shady I swear.”

Ray looked about ready to fight him,but was interrupted by a soft voice from the other room, “Ray…” 

The lad looked up and back towards the bedroom, tone changing, “I’ll be right there.” He sighed, running his hand through his dark hair, “Just sign this and leave. We’re both nourished enough that you shouldn’t need to come back until whenever the fuck your job gets out.”

As much as Geoff wanted to fight for more rights, he signed the paper. For some reason the lad was completely unable to trust him, “Call me if anything comes up,” he stood, offering his hand for the omega to shake. Ray turned his nose up at it, retreating back into the bedroom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter finally gets to their heat.


	3. Geoff Wears Nose Plugs

Geoff stopped by the supermarket after work and picked up all the essentials: hormone regulators, ice packs, fresh sheets, and lots and lots of food. After packing up his computer to give him something to do while he was banished to another room, he headed to the lads’ apartment and snagged the spare key on top of the doorframe. Before letting himself in, he put in the two nose plugs; he wasn’t even inside and he could already smell them. He headed inside, locking up behind him just in case some others came sniffing, “Ray, Michael, I’m here. Just so you know,”he added under his breath, wondering if they would even acknowledge him. He threw the food in the fridge, wondering when the last time the boys ate was. Should he ask? Or would they- mostly Ray- rip his throat out?

Instead of just asking, he started /making/. He threw all of that nutritional omega shit in a blender and turned it into an easily consumable shake- an old trick he picked up from a friend. The two of them, depending on the severity of their heat, might have trouble eating a full meal, but it didn’t take very much effort to drink, especially with the obnoxious swirly straws Geoff found in their kitchen drawers. /Fucking kids/.

He knocked on what he assumed was the bedroom door, “Time to eat,” he tried to sound demanding so they knew he meant business. However, no one came to the door. He faltered for a minute, wondering if it would be safe to step inside and put the shakes on a bedside table or something.

He decided- if they didn’t come out in 30 minutes, he was going in. As much as he valued giving the poor omegas some privacy, they needed to consume what they were sweating and screwing off. He threw the shakes in the fridge and watched an episode of Always Sunny.

Just as the ending credits hit, he heard the old wooden door creak open. A mop of black hair peeked out, dazed. “Hey,” Geoff whispered, afraid to startle him. He stood and fetched the shakes, passing them off to the omega, “Should keep you held over for a while.” 

If the roommate had been coherent, he could’ve expected a remark about his stupid nose plugs or an insult to his cooking. However, he just nodded his head slightly and retreated back into the dark room. 

So far so good.  
\---  
Geoff closed his computer and looked at his watch- 9:30pm. He’d handed the shakes off to the lads almost four hours ago, and he was worried about the cups- he needed those blender cups in order to make more. However, he didn’t think either of the omegas would be worrying about dishes.

He had to go in there.

Summoning his courage, he opened the door, giving his eyes a moment to adjust to the darkness. This was unfamiliar territory for him, and he was afraid of Ray’s wrath if he was caught. He instantly spotted the two half-consumed shakes on the nearby nightstand, snatching them both up in one swift motion.

Then he made the mistake of looking up. 

There,sprawled on the small unmade bed, were the two lads fast asleep. They were completely intertwined with one another, Michael’s head tucked under Ray’s chin, nose buried in his neck. They were visibly exhausted, evidence of their prior engagements soiling the bedsheets. Somehow, tomorrow, he’d have to coax them out of bed to change them. He was so fucking thankful for being able to breathe through his mouth- he probably would’ve lost it by now if he got a strong enough whiff of /two/ unclaimed omegas in heat. And Jesus christ, they were gorgeous omegas at that. He smiled fondly at the two, prepared to sneak back out before he was caught.

He opened the door as slow as he could manage, panicking when the door creaked loud enough to cause one to stir- Michael. He blinked at the gent, “What’re-?”

“Shh,” he coaxed, “Just doing dishes. Go back to sleep.” The lad looked restless, shifting in the bed. Geoff caught sight of the motion, understanding that his co-worker had been in heat for longer than his friend. He was much farther into the intense emotions and need to be knotted, “Do you need anything?”

The lad considered the question for a tense moment, then shook his head, “Ray.”

He chuckled; it shouldn’t amuse him so much that, even with his alpha scent in the room, Michael was desperate for his roommate, “I’ll bring you two some water and be out of your hair.” 

He exited the bedroom, bringing back two opened water bottles. When he returned, Michael had repositioned himself closer to Ray (if that was humanly possible). He extended one of the bottles but the omega shook his head, “It’s here when you need it. Just call if you need anything.” He exited again, collecting his stuff and exiting the apartment and locking the door. Tomorrow they’d be worse. Of an average five day heat, the second and third days are when omegas get more desperate to be bred, regardless if they could actually conceive.

Then again, the lads didn’t have any reaction to his scent today. Michael outright preferred his best friend to an alpha. It was sort of cute.  
\---  
It was not fucking cute.

The more Geoff thought about it overnight, the more concerned he got. The next day at work, he spent more time googling ‘Can omegas prefer other omegas to alphas in heat’ than actually finishing his work for the week (Thank christ it was Friday; he could spend the weekend focusing on the lads instead). The answers he got online were explicitly clear- omegas crave alphas. In heat, an omega produced a fuckton of hormones that caused them to desire an alpha presence- and a knot. It was science.

So why hadn’t the omegas wanted him?

When he yanked his old cubicle partner aside to gossip, he just rolled his eyes, “Geoff, you sound like you’re just jealous they didn’t try to mate with you . And if anyone finds out about this you’ll lose your job.”

He swatted at the fellow alpha’s arm, “I’m not jealous! The only reason I chose to do this in the first place is because I don’t want their heat to send the alphas in that shady building into a rut. Plus, yanno, watching omegas in heat is mildly amusing..”

Ryan chuckled, “Okay sure. It’s totally not because you’re a single, lonely old man.”

“Shut up,” he growled, “ I don’t even know why I tell you these things.”

Ryan flashed him a grin, “Because you’re insecure.” He wheeled around in his chair, “Just see how they are today. Maybe they just weren’t far enough into their heat to seek out a near stranger. Some omegas have a good amount of self-control.” His voice lowered, “Unlike you.”

“Ryan!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I swear the relationship stuff will start blooming next chapter. I can confirm there will be shenanigans.


	4. Ryan Gets Involved

The smell was even worse today. Geoff had to put in the nose plugs as soon as he got off the elevator, and as soon as he got inside he propped all the windows open. 

It was time to get to work.

He made shakes for the lads again, this time using a different recipe to /shake/ things up. He also opened up the scent-sensitive sheets he bought yesterday, prepared to take off the soiled sheets n their bed and switch them out as quickly as possible, “Lads? I’m coming in,” he opened the door a crack, just to make sure they weren’t in the middle of a heat-driven fuck, “You need to eat and shower.”

Holy fuck they looked so much worse than last night. Both looked a bit scratched up, with visible claw marks running down Michael’s side. Ray was clutching on to his friend for dear life while Michael, only semi-conscious, ran his fingers through the boy’s hair. Ray’s hips moved lazily toward the other omega; Ray was absolutely gone to the heat. At the sound of him entering, the redhead glanced up at him and gave him the most pathetic whine. Geoff’s instincts almost took over from the sound alone, “You’ll feel better after a shower, I promise.”

Ray’s eyes fluttered open, spotting Geoff almost immediately and curling closer to Michael. What the fuck was with these two? Did they hate him? “Here,” he placed the drinks down on the nightstand, “I’m going to set up a shower for you two. You can be in there together.” He left before they had a chance to protest, walking to their small crudy bathroom and turning on the shower to a moderately warm level. He personally liked his showers scalding hot, but there was no doubt their skin would be too sensitive.

He peeked back into the bedroom to see Michael gently coaxing Ray up. Maybe it was just his active imagination, but he swore that the lads were so wet with slick that they were /dripping/. The two slowly maneuvered to the shower while Geoff quickly stripped the bed and replaced the sheets. At least that worked out alright.

He wanted to sit close while the omegas showered to ensure that neither of them fell, but the moment he stepped onto the bathroom tile Ray shot him a hazy concerned look. How the hell did he keep snapping out of his haze to glare at him? Michael tugged Ray’s arm, wrapping him underneath his shoulder and sending the gent a wary glance. He settled for sitting /outside/ the bathroom, out of sight. This way, if one of them fell or passed out, he’d at least be able to /hear/ them.

The problem was that he could hear a lot of /other/ things as well.

“Nmngh,” he heard a desperate groan which he believed to be Ray.

“Shh, ‘s okay.” There was the distinct sound of shifting around in the shower, but nothing to be concerned about, “-take care of you-”

“Need-”

“I know.”

Geoff twiddled his thumbs, trying to ignore the fact that they were probably fucking in the shower right now. He’d only been in the apartment for thirty minutes, and his instincts were already stretched thin. At this rate he’d need to take a fifteen minute break and take care of his own problems. 

He heard Ray whine louder, tugging at his heartstrings, “Fuck-”

Geoff took his leave, going into the living room to shove his head out the window and get a breath of fresh air.

He didn’t return until he heard the water shut off, “You both decent?” He peeked around the corner, thankful that he had laid towels out for them in advance. The lads didn’t even bother with putting on fresh clothes; They stepped around him and buried themselves under the covers, “Drink the shake,” he gestured to the only thing they’d likely drink all day. Omegas were stubborn when they wanted to be, and Michael was stubborn on a normal basis. He ignored the gent, body pressing flush against Ray’s backside. “The sooner you drink it, the sooner I leave,” he tried to bargain.

That seemed to get Michael’s attention at least. Ray had already began mouthing the lad’s neck, whining when the lad sat up and took the shakes from him. Michael was /shaking/; Geoff wasn’t sure if he was just cold from getting out of the shower or if it was because of the desire to mate. The second he took the shakes he stepped back, allowing them the space Ray insisted upon having. He headed towards the doorway, lingering long enough to see Michael take a small sip and hold the straw to Ray’s mouth.  
\---  
The first horny knothead came knocking on the door today. Geoff had hung his jacket over the doorknob this morning to try to make it smell like there was a dominant alpha in the house. However, even with the windows open to air out the apartment, alphas were still coming to investigate.

He looked through the peephole first, making sure it wasn’t just a delivery boy or a poor little girl scout. Despite not wanting to, he pulled out the nose plugs so no one would get suspicious. Then, he opened the door, letting it slam against the doorstop, “What do you want?” he growled.

The younger alpha looked panicked, seeing him instead of a needy omega, “Uh- I-”

He stood taller than the boy by a few inches, “They’re mine. Get lost.” 

The alpha ran away before he could release another low growl.

One he heard the elevator door shut, he sighed, closing the door gently. Breathing through his nose had been a huge mistake; the apartment smelled like a warm summer breeze, and his eyes nearly glazed over. He could just picture his pretty little omegas bearing their necks for him to mark up with sweet little bites-

Geoff shook his head, immediately sprinting towards the open living room window and getting a large breath of fresh air. The heat was really getting to him now- he wouldn’t be able to take much more of this before his alpha instincts take over.

He stuffed his nose again and turned to see Ray staring at him. He froze, unsure if any sudden movement would startle him too much. Was it the slam of the door that scared him? “You okay?”

No response, but the lad looked prepared to bolt at any second. He heard Michael faintly whining for him in the room next door, “Michael needs you,” he informed. 

It seemed like i took a minute to process, but he headed back into the bedroom.  
\---  
Upon Geoff’s instructions, Ryan opened the apartment door without knocking, “I’m here, what’s the emergency?” He may have told a lie or two to get him to come so fast, but he had no regrets. Surely the fellow alpha would understand once he explained his reasoning.

He stood up from the couch, nearly tripping over the coffee table as he tried to escape, “Thank god. Please /please/ Ryan just stay here and make sure nothing bad happens for fifteen minutes.”

He seemed taken aback, “What? No!”

Geoff, in a wave of desperation, gripped his shirt, “Please Ryan. I need to get out and clear my head. Just fifteen minutes to jerk and get some fresh air.”

He pushed the gent off, already feeling dizzy from the pheromones in the air, “If they barely trust you, what makes you think they’ll trust me? They don’t know me!”

“They’ve been in there for over an hour- they probably won’t even notice a difference. I just don’t want to leave them alone because alphas have been lingering around. /Please/. I’ll make Matt do the financial report this quarter.”

Now that was something Ryan could get behind, “....Fine. Fifteen minutes exactly.” He didn’t think he could last much longer than that anyways.

Geoff didn’t even say thank you; he was out of the room before Ryan finished his agreement. At a loss for what to do Ryan took a seat on the couch, fiddling with the TV remote and fixing the coffee table that Geoff moved. He knew this wasn’t a good idea; if Michael’s roommate had been adverse to letting him stay, he /definitely/ wouldn’t approve of a complete stranger in the apartment. He kept quiet, hoping to ride out these fifteen minutes in silence. He checked his watch often, prepared to walk out at exactly fifteen minutes. Whoever was that strong tropical scent was driving his instincts wild. 

His thoughts were jostled by a little redhead peeking out from the bedroom doorway- from the descriptions Geoff gave, he could only assume it was Michael. He stupidly decided to keep quiet, hoping his coworker wouldn’t notice him. ‘He’s an omega in heat, not a fucking dinosaur.’

The lad inched closer, and Ryan tensed up. First off, that delectable citrus scent was coming from the curly haired lad, and him being in heat was not helping the situation. Furthermore, didn’t Geoff say that the lads didn’t seem to want an alpha? So much for that theory.

The fiery lad approached, taking a few cautious sniffs, “You smell like heaven.”

He swallowed, trying to keep calm, “Thank you. I bet your proxy mate smells better though.” 

He nodded, “He’s safe.” Without warning, Michael crawled onto the couch, curling up on his lap. Ryan’s fingers dug into the couch cushions beneath him, taking shallow breaths to keep his head.

The omega wasn’t phased, “Are you taking care of us?”

“Geoff is. He’ll be right back.”

He made a small noise that ripped out his heartstrings, “You should stay too. You smell good. Geoff smells like whiskey,” The lad buried his head into Ryan’s neck, “Ray doesn’t like him though. Maybe he’ll like you.”

Ryan glanced at the door, positive that the gent’s fifteen minutes were up now, “Well, Geoff /is/ a shady motherfucker sometimes.” He wanted to know where the roommate, Ray, was while all of this was going on.

Michael was nuzzling his neck, mixing their scents together- fuck he’d smell like him for a while. Thankfully, the lad wasn’t pushing for anything more yet. “Just wanna be loved…”

“Ray loves you, doesn’t he?”

“We protect each other.” Michael’s immediate response answered approximately zero of his questions, but he wouldn’t push it. He let the lad rest against him, holding his breath for as long as possible.

Finally, Geoff came back from his break. Upon seeing the two of them curled up on the couch, he silently cursed the gent out. Ryan could only send a desperate plea for help in response. Please get this hot, adorable, needy omega off of him before he flipped shit.

Geoff’s tone was soft, “Hey Michael.”

“Mmm.” Ryan could feel the vibration on his throat.

He locked the door behind him quietly, “Why aren’t you with Ray?”

“He’s resting.” He wrapped an arm around Ryan’s chest, pulling him closer. An instinctive growl rose in the gent’s throat, and he blushed in embarrassment.

Geoff sighed, trying to think of a valid reason why Michael should get off, “Why don’t you go rest with him? You need your energy.”

He grumbled, scenting with Ryan yet again, “But I can rest here.”

“You don’t want Ray to be alone, do you?”

Michael seemed to think about it for a minute, then peeled himself off the alpha, “Okay…” he waved goodbye to Ryan, dragging his feet back into their shared bedroom.

Geoff turned on his friend, “What the fuck?”

“I don’t know!” He stood and immediately shoved his head out of the tiny apartment window, an act that was quickly getting old for Geoff, “He just sat on me! What the fuck was I supposed to do!?”

“Not let him scent with you, that’s for sure!” He rubbed his face, “I don’t even know why he did that, I thought they hated alphas or something.”

He turned to Geoff, trying to ignore the fact that his clothes smelled like fruity sex, “Well according to Michael, Ray hates /you/. His hatred of all knotheads hasn’t been confirmed yet.”

The boss glared at his friend, “Thanks for helping out I’m good now,” His voice dripped with sarcasm.

Ryan chuckled, collecting his stuff, “You’re welcome. I’d say ‘anytime’, but I’d really rather not,” he teased, taking his leave.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally Ryan is here. It's all uphill from here folks.


	5. The Chapter in the Office

Ray stormed into the gent’s office, anger radiating off him and Michael trailing close behind, urging him to keep quiet, “What the fuck Ramsey!?!”

Ramsey instinctively stood, feeling threatened by the lanky lad. Ray was in his face an instant, “What?! What did I do?” 

Michael’s heat had ended two days ago, and he insisted that Geoff’s help would no longer be needed. Leaving them, even with one omega back in the right state of mind, worried him, and he insisted on leaving his jacket there to make others believe there was an alpha present. Was Ray’s anger about that? Why did the lad intimidate him so much?

Ray was in his face in seconds, growling as he spoke, “Who the fuck did you let into the house?”

He stammered over his words, “I didn’t! I was scaring alphas off all week!”

“Bullshit! I smelled another alpha on the couch /and/ on Michael. Who the /fuck/ did you let touch Michael!?”

Oh. That’s what he meant. “That was a friend! I needed to get out for a few minutes- the scents were getting too much for me- so I asked him to watch the place for a few minutes.”

Ray looked seconds away from ripping his throat out, “We didn’t agree to that asshole.” He fisted the gent’s shirt, “He touched Michael.”

“No he didn’t!” He had to defuse the situation fast, before one of his employees needs him, “When I came back in, Michael was sitting on him, but he wasn’t touching him, I swear!” He peered over at the lad, “Michael, don’t you remember?” 

He shook his head slowly, “I never remember much. Just the smell.”

Geoff panicked, “I promise you he didn’t do anything. He’s not that type of guy-”

“He’s an alpha, of course he’s that type of guy,” Ray sneered, “I don’t believe you.”

“I can prove it! He works here- let me call him up! You’ll see he’s super awkward.”

The omega reluctantly let go of his shirt, and the boss called down to the financial department, “Hey, can you come up to my office real fast? It’s an emergency.” A life or death emergency; if Ryan didn’t prove his innocence, the tiny feisty omega would kill him.

After about two minutes of awkward silence, Ryan knocked on the office door and entered, staring at confusion at the two flushed omegas, “This is Ryan, from accounting. Ryan, this is Michael from the customer service department, and his roommate Ray.” The gent waved awkwardly at the two, “Can you tell them what happened when you came to visit?”

“When you bribed me to keep an eye on the fort so you could take a break? Yeah.” He locked eyes with Michael, a small flush coming to his face, “He left and I was chilling on the couch, and you came into the room and curled up on me. I didn’t want to scare you, so I just stayed still. Eventually Geoff came back and convinced you to go back to your roommate.”

Michael looked a bit uneasy, inching forward and sniffing the gent, “Why wouldn’t you touch me if I was right there?” It didn’t make sense to the lad that someone /wouldn’t/ take an omega in that situation.

“Uhh, because I don’t know you? And the worst thing to happen to someone in heat is being taken advantage of by a stranger?” Not to mention the fact that it was illegal.  
Ray still wasn’t satisfied, “Why couldn’t you just leave us alone for fifteen minutes?”

Geoff was getting sick and tired of Ray’s sass. He’d made it clear many times why he didn’t want them to be alone during their heat, “Because I have about as little faith in society as you do in me? Listen, I followed all the rest of your stupid rules,and Ryan didn’t break any rules either. Why don’t you just thank us for keeping you two safe?”

Ray bristled, letting go of the boss in disgust, “Thank /you/?” He looked like he was trying to form a comeback, “I wouldn’t thank you if you jumped in front of a car for me!” He stormed out of the office, and Michael sent the two gents an apologetic glance before following his roommate.

Ryan crossed his arms, “I told you you’d get in trouble.”

The whole confrontation had sent Geoff into a rage, “That ungrateful little brat!” He paced the room, “I went out of my way to help them, and all I get for that is yelled at? When it wasn’t even my fault?”

Ryan played the devil’s advocate, “Well they never /asked/ you for help-”

“But they needed it though! Do you know how many alphas came sniffing at their door? What would’ve happened to them without me there?”  
\---  
Michael shifted on his feet, peeking around the corner at the financial department. After he had calmed Ray down and convinced him to go home, he found himself lingering around the alpha scent that he vividly recalled from the past week. Wood burning logs.When mixed on his pillow with the scent of his best friend, it smelled like s'mores. It reminded him of his childhood, long before he presented as an omega-

He wanted to talk to Ryan. He just had to figure out a way.

Normally it would be easy to strike up a conversation with somebody; in fact,it was his fucking job. He was a phone salesman to their modest company, and he was pretty damn good at it. The question of whether his success was due to his skill with communication or his personable nature as an omega, he didn’t bother to decide. Ryan was different though. The alpha had caught Michael in one of his most vulnerable moments, and didn’t cave into instincts. He owed the gent a lot (certainly more than an apology), but wasn’t sure how to go about saying that. ‘Thanks for not knotting me?’ ‘Sorry I sat on you and scented you?’ Nothing seemed right.

“What are you doing?”

Michael jumped out of his skin, turning to face none other than the gent. He had a paper bag and a diet coke in one hand, giving the omega a quizzical stare. He fumbled for words to make him sound less creepy, “I was just, you know, roaming around. I haven’t looked around the other departments yet…” 

Ryan seemed to accept his lame answer, “Oh, well, welcome to the finance department. We have business jokes on posters and a firm hatred of the convoluted payment plans you and your guys conjure up.”

He panicked- was Ryan saying he hated him? He hadn’t even had a chance to fuck up the conversation yet! “Really?”

The gent cracked a grin, “I’m joking. Well, not about the posters,” he gestured inside the office wing where there were terrible math and accounting puns littering the cubicles. Michael visibly relaxed, pleased to have a second shot at talking to the alpha. Ryan was watching him, icy blue eyes making shivers run down his spine, “You want to look inside? Everyone is still out at lunch. I just like to bring my stuff back here because it’s quiet.” Michael nodded meekly, internally smacking himself for losing his confident aura around the dude he sat on in heat. The gent didn’t notice, leading him over to his basic, organized cubicle, “When Geoff used to be my cubicle buddy he would leave his desk a mess. It pissed me off so much that I would add more clutter to his side to see if he noticed.”

“Did he?”

Ryan chuckled, the low timbre of his voice striking a chord in Michael’s veins, “Of course not.”

His desk was almost freakishly tidy. Everything had its proper place, and nearly everything was labeled and well contained for ease of access, “I didn’t know Geoff used to work in finance.”

Ryan sat, spinning in the chair to face his guest, “Yeah, and he hated it. As soon as he got promoted, he transferred over to your division. He still visits me whenever he doesn’t feel like doing work.” The gent’s warm and genuine smile was unnerving to him, “You’re pretty new, aren’t you? How are you enjoying everything?”

“It’s alright,” he sat on the edge of the desk, secretly hoping to leave his scent behind, “It makes good money and I don’t have to do any hard labor, so I really can’t complain.”

Ryan nodded, “Honestly, there are worse jobs.”

“Right.” The conversation died off, and he swung his feet off the table. If he wanted to talk to the gent, there was no better time to do it, “Thank you.”

Ryan glanced up from his food in confusion, “Hmm?”

“For dealing with me when I was heat. And for not, you know…” he trailed off, skillfully avoiding eye contact, “I appreciate it a bit more than Ray.”

“You don’t need to thank me,” he twirled a pencil between his fingers, “You weren’t yourself. Something tells me you don’t normally scent with strangers.” His tone was teasing, and Michael was once again reminded of how intimate the two had gotten.

“I don’t, I swear.” On a whim, he decided to dig for information, “I bet your omega was pissed when they smelled me on you.”

Ryan was oblivious that he was trying to get a read on his relationship status, “You mean my nonesxistant omega? Yeah, they were pissed.” 

The prospect of getting close to a /single/ alpha made his stomach churn, but he suppressed the urges- think of what Ray would say, “That makes one of us. Ray was furious when he smelled you. He made me take a shower mid-heat.”

Ryan found it amusing, but it was difficult as fuck to take a shower in that state, “Why does he hate Geoff anyway? Did you talk smack about him or something?”

“Uhh, no. It’s sort of a long story,” He instinctively tensed up by just thinking about it, “The two of us aren’t very fond of alphas.”

Ryan seemed to realize that Michael didn’t want to delve into it further, and he changed the subject, “A lot of alphas are assholes,” he agreed, “Just let me know if any of the ones here bother you. I have enough dirt to blackmail anyone in this company.”

Michael couldn’t help but smile, “Will do.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I smell foreshadowing in the air.


	6. Geoff Buys Groceries

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's some fluff. Who doesn't like some fluff?

Geoff had a bad feeling in his gut ever since Ray stormed out on him. It wasn’t necessarily that the lad hated him, but what the lad was doing now that he wasn’t there. Their apartment was cluttered and their fridge was empty; he wanted to make sure the two of them were caring for themselves. Not to mention that he wanted to see what their plan was for next month; that is, when both of them had their heat together again.

He knocked on their shitty apartment door with large bags in each arm. Even if the lad shut him out, at least he’d know they would have food.

No answer, and his heart began to race, “Ray?”

After another minute, he heard the door unlock. He sighed in relief as the puerto rican opened the door, “...What now?”

“I bought groceries. When I was there, all I saw in your fridge was leftover chinese and a six pack of red bull.”

He didn’t budge from the doorway, “We can buy our own damn groceries.”

“I know,” he extended a bag towards the boy, “But I wanted to. Take them.”

He crossed his arms in front of his chest, “What if I don’t?”

Geoff sighed; why is he so bitter and grumpy all the time? “Then I’ll just leave them outside your door. I already have plenty of shit at home.”

Ray rolled his eyes, “Fine. But I’m not putting it away.” He stepped aside, letting the boss enter the apartment. It was almost exactly how he left it, but his scent was almost completely gone. He placed his groceries on the counter, and the omega watched him unpack with a critical eye, “What the fuck is this?” He picked up a frozen slab of meat.

Geoff tried not to laugh at him, “....Beef patties? So you can make burgers?”

“Why are they red?”

How did these two manage to eat up until this point, “They’re not pre-cooked. You have to cook them yourself.” He glanced at the microwave which, to no surprise, looked like the most used appliance in the household, “Do you know how to cook?”

“I know how to nuke stuff in the microwave. Does that count?” He was defensive about his cooking skills, and he couldn’t help but find that cute.

He took the pack from him, slicing it open with ease, “No. I’m gonna teach you though.”

“What if I don’t want to learn?:

Damn this kid was sassy, “Then this food will just sit there in your freezer collecting ice. Trust me, homemade burgers are the best.” He began to show the lad what he needed, talking to himself until the boy stopped being stubborn. Once he had caved in and begun to listen, he walked him through the steps, giving little hints and tricks when he could. Geoff /loved/ to cook, and it was nice to show the kid around his kitchen.

Ray seemed to enjoy it too, though he’d never admit it. He followed him around, learning how to grill burgers over the stove top and add in onions for extra flavor. Once the lad stopped focusing on his alleged hatred of Geoff, he really seemed to open up. The gent noticed he made a lot of funny comments under his breath; it was almost endearing.

Almost an hour and a half later, they’d cooked an entire meal, “Look at that- you’ve made food without calling for delivery.

“Yeah yeah,” he rolled his eyes, packing away the rest of the food for later, “Where did you learn all this?”

“I took a lot of home ec classes in school. It was an easy boost to my GPA.” He leaned on the counter, “You promise you’re not gonna forget how to use an oven as soon as I leave the room?”

“Of course I am,” he teased, actually smiling in front of the gent for once.

The happy moment was interrupted by Michael walking through the door. He stared at confusion at the two of them, “....Ray, do you want me to call HR?”

“Nah, we’ll save that for when he really pisses me off.”He held up the burger, “Here. Taste.”

Michael dropped his jacket and came over to them to take a nibble, “Holy fuck! What restaurant is that from?”

Geoff grinned at the omegas, “Ray made it.”

The curly-haired lad immediately spit the food out, “No. No! If that were his cooking, I’d be puking right now.”

The lad eagerly told his roommate about their cooking lesson, and his heart swelled with pride. He did good today.


	7. Good Guy Geoff Strikes Again

Geoff had waited two weeks before addressing the elephant in the room. Because Michael chose to neglect his heat suppressants, him and Ray were now on the same schedule. He wasn’t sure why the lad stopped or if he restarted them after their last heat, but he desperately wanted to know. It was hard to catch the lad alone, but he eventually cornered him as he was packing up to go home, “Hey,” he leaned on the desk, lowering his voice, “Do you know what you and Ray are doing next month?”

He stared at his boss for a moment, expression mimicking his confusion, “What we’re doing? Oh,” he scratched his head, “We haven’t had a civil conversation about that yet. I was hoping to not talk about it ever again.” He kicked his overflowing desk drawer shut.

“Won’t you two just be on the same schedule again this month? I don’t have a problem helping out, but Ray might murder me for stinking up his house again.” 

The lad wasn’t taking the topic nearly as serious as he was, “Ask him about it. I don’t mind having you around, but Ray has the final say.”

“Yeah, about that…” He leaned against the lad’s table, intentionally blocking the omega’s only escape, “What did I do to him to make him hate me so much…”

He swore he saw Michael’s eyes go hazy for a moment, as if remembering something. His jaw clenched, “He doesn’t hate you. He just doesn’t really like alphas coming in and being all controlling.”

That seemed like a legit enough answer, “Is that it? He just doesn’t like being bossed around?”

“Yeah.” He threw his backpack over his shoulder, clearly exhausted from the long work day, “If you’ll excuse me, I need to go be with my one true love.”

“Ray?”

He smirked, “My computer.”  
\---------------  
Geoff was going to call Ray to talk about next month’s heat, but by luck he happened to run into him on his way home from work. He chose to walk that day (to save the environment and all that shit), and saw the small omega exiting the nearby Gamestop. He looked /different/. He was so used to seeing the lanky lad weakly clutching to blankets or taking care of Michael that seeing him now in a gamestop uniform seemed odd. “Hey!” He picked up his pace to catch up with the omega, “I didn’t know you worked at gamestop.”

Ray looked less than thrilled to see him. He watched the gent run up to him, lips forming a straight line, “What did you think I do? Sit around on my ass all day?”

Well someone was in a sassy mood today, “No, I’ve just never seen you in any other clothes except your PJ’s. You clean up nice.” He awkwardly shoved his hands in his pocket, “How was your day?”

Somehow sensing that he wasn’t going to shake the alpha, he sighed in defeat, “Long. I’ve been working overtime because one of our coworkers had to call out for an emergency.” To accentuate his point, his stomach growled.

Food. No one- not even Ray- could turn down an opportunity to get free food, “You wanna grab something to eat? I’m starving.” 

“I mean, I was just gonna grab something at home…”

Geoff wasn’t above bribing the lad to hang out with him, “I’ll pay. I don’t want to walk all the way home hungry.”

After a long hesitant moment, the lad shrugged, “Sure.”

Next thing they knew, they were in line at the nearest chipotle and sitting down to eat. It was the first time that he met Ray in a neutral place and, to be honest, it was sort of nice. Once he started talking about video games, the omega’s eyes lit and he could talk for minutes without taking a breath. He felt so much better getting food in his stomach and having good company to talk to.

An hour later, the two were exiting the restaurant with full stomachs and smiles. Geoff was almost convinced that this Ray was not the same Ray he assisted through heat, “Hey,” he stopped, waiting for the walk signal to cross the street, “Michael told me to ask you about what your plan was for your next heat. You two are still on the same schedule, right?”

Ray’s expression immediately sobered up, “Yeah. Me and him were arguing about that. I was trying to coax him to get back on his suppressants so we wouldn’t be on the same schedule again.”

“Why isn’t he taking them?” Heat schedules aside, the lad was drawing a lot of attention from the younger alphas in the office; Geoff was starting to get worried for his safety.

“Hell if I know. I guess we’ll figure it out.” The light turned green, and the two began leisurely walking past rows of annoyed taxi drivers. 

“Well, you know, I don’t have a problem helping out again.”

Ray shot him a small glare, “I’d rather not press my luck, thanks.” He didn’t even give it a second thought.

Geoff grumbled in annoyance, “Hey, I think I did a pretty damn good job.” His attention was drawn to a car flying down the road, as if he was going to miss his light. He was going too fast for the right lane, that was for sure.

“You got the job done, but I’d rather not. What happens if you lose your control next time? What if you invite over another ‘friend’?”

Geoff stopped listening. The car he’d been watching veered into the turning lane, not even looking before turning onto their road. “Ray!” He shouted, trying to stop the lad from walking into the car’s reckless warpath. In a moment of panic, he sprinted forward and barreled into the omega.

And then the car hit him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry.


	8. Ray is Angry

It was a long, stressful ride to the hospital. Nothing was seriously injured, thank fucking christ, but he hurt like hell and needed to go for legal purposes. His shoulder was a little out of whack, but nothing hurt more than the silent treatment he was getting from the omega. The lad was able to tag along in the ambulance because he thought he was Geoff’s omega (to which he scoffed in disgust). He refused to even look at him as he was transported to the hospital and wheeled into the the room to be examined. 

A dislocated shoulder and whiplash- it was the doctor’s final verdict. Considering the fact that he literally threw himself in front of a moving car, he made it off pretty easy. He rested against the giant white pillows, trying not to move too much as he waited for discharge papers.

All the while Ray was sitting cross-legged in a chair, glaring at the wall, “You didn’t have to come with me,” Geoff reminded.

“Yes I did.”

The alpha quirked an eyebrow, unable to turn and get a good look at him, “No one forced you.”

The result came out super salty, “No one forced you to get hit by a car either.”

Geoff groaned, “Are you really mad at me because I didn’t let you get /hit by a car/?”

“I’m mad because-!” He cut himself off, choosing to cut himself off before he opened up too much to the gent. Geoff wasn’t in the mood to push him, so he fell into silence as well.

It was minutes before Ray spoke again, “...Thank you.” He mumbled it so quietly that the alpha almost missed it.

“What?”

“You heard me.” He finally looked over and met Geoff’s gaze, “You didn’t have to…./Why/ did you?”

He shrugged out of instinct and winced as pain shot up through his neck, “I saw the car coming. I couldn’t let you get hit-”

“You could’ve. You could’ve very easily let me get hit. You barely know me.”

“I….” He couldn’t describe what made him do it. He considered that it was maybe just an alpha thing- to be protective as fuck of others. However, a deeper part of him wondered if he would’ve done it for any other stranger on the street. 

No- he wouldn’t have saved a stranger. Ray was different; in a weird, unexplainable way, the lad felt like /his/ omega. He was the only alpha (that he knew of) looking out for him.

He’d never tell him that though, “I have a car at least- if you got hurt you’d have a lot more problems getting to work.” It was a lame-ass excuse, but it was the best he could come up with.

Ray rolled his eyes, “Well, I appreciate it, but don’t do it again.” 

Apparently the doctors got distracted or something, because it was a long time before someone came back with discharge papers. Geoff dozed off once or twice, drained from the long day. He felt like absolute shit, and the medication he was given explicitly stated ‘Not to be consumed with alcohol’. 

Ray glanced over at him occasionally from his phone, nose twitching. It was possible that the injuries and medication was fucking with his scent, but he didn’t read too much into it. He was absentmindedly scrolling through his phone, and Geoff almost wished the lad was more of a talker. He was tired and bored; any type of engagement would be appreciated.

Then, suddenly, there was a weight on the bed, and he opened his eyes to have Ray shove a phone in his face, “Look.” On screen was a pun- a fucking pun- and despite his exhaustion, he laughed hard at it. Ray waited for his reaction, the corners of his lips rising in response to Geoff’s stupid laugh.

Ray remained at his feet after that, occasionally showing the gent a funny meme until the doctor finally returned. Once again, Geoff was baffled by how different the lad was acting compared to when Geoff first met him. When he was close to heat and greeted by Geoff, the lad was /hostile/. It was almost as if it was instinctual, because this Ray sitting at his feet was far more relaxed.

The thought hit him like a brick to the face: Was there something wrong with the lad’s heat?

They exited the hospital, and headed separate ways- Geoff to a cab, and Ray to the bus stop. He was nervous to leave the omega after an eventful day, but it wasn’t like the gent could offer much help with his arm in a sling anyways.

A few hours later, as Geoff was laying on his bed and groaning, he got a text.

RAY: I’ll let you know when we’ll need you for our next heat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love foreshadowing :)  
> Two Myan-heavy chapters are on the way~


	9. Michael Has A Bad Day

Michael was having a terrible day. He was late to work, his coffee spilled on him on the way, his call list was getting longer and longer, and just when he thought things were okay, the server crashed. All of that on top of getting stared down by coworkers because of his scent was making him antsy and uncomfortable. Ever since he stopped his suppressants, his scent had apparently gotten stronger and attracted more annoying knotheads to his desk. All he wanted to do was scent, but he couldn’t even do that. It was only eleven am, and he wouldn’t get to see Ray (the only person he /trusted/ to scent with) until about six. He was two seconds away from punching a hole in the wall and leaving early.

In his frustration, it dawned on him that he didn’t /have/ to scent exclusively with Ray. In fact, /everyone/ scented with other people; it was just a normal part of life. His cubicle buddies have all friend-scented with each other at least once, and it was common to see people exchanging wrists on the bus to work. The only problem was he didn’t trust any of these fuckers not to corner him while he was vulnerable.

His throat closed up- there was /one/ person he could trust around here. He’d even scented with him before, even though it was an accident and he barely remembered it.

Minutes later, he was knocking on the side of the gent’s cubicle, “Hey.” He was even hotter than he remembered; his long blonde hair was just begging for him to stick his nose into. His day got even better when the gent looked at him, sporting a cute pair of glasses-

Hold it together Jones, “Can you do me a favor?” His voice was hushed.

The older alpha raised an eyebrow, “Sure? What do you need?” 

“I’m having a completely shitty day and everything is going wrong and I won’t get to see Ray for like another seven hours and you’re the only person around here who I talk to, so…” He rambled on, genuinely afraid the gent would say no, “Do you think we could scent? Just a little?” Michael honestly shouldn’t be getting so worked up about the topic because it was normal and happened literally all the time, but his stomach worked itself into knots anyway.

Ryan looked legitimately shocked, but offered a friendly smile, “Sure.” He gestured for the lad to come closer, standing up to be on a level plane with him, “Can I ask why today is so shitty?” He began to roll up his sleeves, and Michael caught sight of his muscular arms.

It was hard not to stare, “It’s been one thing after another, yanno? The coffee spills then the server goes down…” 

He nodded, “I get it. Here,” he practically thrust his arm out for him.

Something about the location just made him uneasy. He never scented in public before, and didn’t want Ryan’s coworkers to see, “Do you mind if we move somewhere else?” He knew he probably sounded ridiculous, but there was no harm in asking at this point.

To his delight, the gent nodded, “Lead the way.” How was he being so cool about this? 

Michael led him out of the ‘nerd’ wing, freezing when he spotted a small coat closet, “Here,” he quickly ushered Ryan inside and closed the door, leaving them in near darkness.

He heard Ryan chuckle, the low timbre of his voice sending shivers down his spine, “I feel like I’m reliving my high school years.”

“Shut up,” he teased, uneasiness still brewing in his gut, “I just felt awkward out in the open like that.”

“...You realize that there are literally people who scent in the middle of the street, right?”

Michael shrugged, the gesture lost in the darkness, “I’m not one of those people.”

“Gotcha. Well-” Ryan extended his wrist again, and this time Michael accepted it. He took a step closer, nose gently brushing against the alpha’s scent glands.

He smelled even better up close. He smelled like a wood-burning fire, like the old days having bonfires with his friends. He inhaled slowly, the grounding scent seemingly traveling through his body and settling his stomach. 

Then, he felt Ryan’s nose in his hair, and he inhaled sharply. He could feel the gent nosing into his curly hair, mixing their two scents together. Following his lead, he rubbed his cheek against his wrist, brain going fuzzy in response to the soothing stimulation. It was so different from when he scented with Ray; him and his roommate had no problems scenting at the neck (the most intimate place) because they knew each other inside and out. Ray’s cinnamon scent was the closest thing to an alpha he thought he would ever get.

But Ryan’s scent was pleasantly different and /so much stronger/ than Ray’s. He couldn’t remember when he switched wrists, but his eyes were clamped shut as he rubbed against the alpha’s arm. He faintly noticed Ryan’s other hand now leafing through his locks and settling on his neck, but at this point he was too far gone to question the sudden intimacy.

He wasn’t sure how long he was standing there, drowning himself in Ryan’s scent. Eventually, the gent tapped on his shoulder, stirring him from his haze, “We’ve been gone a while...we should probably get back….”

He reluctantly nodded, exiting the closet and wondering if Ryan’s pupils were abnormally dilated. Maybe it was just the glasses.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah yes, finally a nice Myan chapter


	10. Ryan: The Knight in Shining Armor

“This is the finance department. Operating hours are Monday to Friday, 10AM to 4PM. Please leave a message after the beep.”

“Hey- uh- is anyone there-?”

Ryan put down his notepad, shocked to hear a familiar voice at- what time was it- one a.m.? He picked up the answering machine, “Michael?”

“Hi Ryan,” The lad’s words were slightly slurred, “I’m glad you’re there. I didn’t know if anyone would answer.”

“Our server shut down during the storm. All the tech guys are here trying to fix the site now. Why are you calling this late at night?”

“I’m drunk.” The other end of the line was extremely loud; He must be out with friends or something.

“Okay…” He tried not to be concerned, “Do you know where you are?” 

He could hear loud shouting from the other side of the phone, and his fear spiked, “Uhh…” he mumbled to someone else, “The bar- no, it’s The Jive, it’s /a/ bar.” The lad seemed to be confusing himself, “They said I could call someone ‘cause my phone is dead and the only number I could think of was work.”

Ryan sighed, amused that- as a phone salesman- the only number he could recall was the number he didn’t /need/ to call. However, he still couldn’t help but feel uneasy, “Who is ‘they’?”

He heard the lad ask ‘what the fuck is your name’ before responding, “Tyler the bartender. There’s a creepy guy bothering me here so he said I could hide behind the bar. I’m drunk.” He said it as if Ryan hadn’t been told or able to realize it already.

The gent was already shutting off the lights in the cubicle and grabbing his coat, “You want me to come get you?”

“Yeah.”  
\---

Ryan hadn’t been in a bar in a long time. He’d accompanied some of his coworkers on occasion, but eventually got sick of being the designated driver to a bunch of puking adults. For Michael, though, he didn’t mind making an exception.

He entered the bar and began to search for the omega, but it proved to be a bit difficult. By the smell of it, everyone in this bar was an alpha- what was Michael doing in an alpha bar? Didn’t he understand how dangerous it was?

He approached the bar, gesturing over the tall brunette bartender, “Are you Tyler? My friend Michael called me to come get him.” 

Out of fucking nowhere, Michael’s head popped up beside the worker, “Ryan?” Upon seeing him, he waved as if nothing was wrong, “Thanks Ty, you’re the best.” Michael hugged Tyler (who didn’t seem to know how to respond) and hopped over the bar. To Ryan’s shock, the lad glued himself to the alpha’s side, “Can we go? I don’t want the creepy guy to see me.” Ryan wanted to ask who the ‘creepy’ guy was, but figured he’d rather be safe than sorry. He led the lad out of the crowded bar and opened the passenger side door for him. In his mind, he began to formulate a lecture about picking safer bars, but Michael didn’t need a reason to explain himself, “I was with a buncha people and this other group of people started talking to us. The guy I was talking to was like ‘Yeah we’re all gonna head down to this bar, but when I got there none of my friends were there and the place was fucking full of alphas.”

Ryan got in the other side and buckled in, “Was the guy who brought you there the ‘creepy guy’?”

Michael nodded, curling his knees into his chest. Despite being drunk as fuck, his lovely tangerine scent was untainted by the smell of booze as it filled the car, “I realized ‘fuck, he wants me to get trapped in alpha land’ so I talked to the bartender and hid.” ‘Trapped in alpha land’ was an interesting way to describe it, but he was glad the omega realized the danger.

He pulled onto the road, faintly recalling where the lad lived, “I’m glad you called, even if you didn’t mean to call me specifically,” he smiled. Drunk Michael was much more manageable than heat Michael.

The lad chuckled, “I probably still woulda called you if I could remember your number. No alpha in their right mind would pick a fight with you.”

“Well I wish that were true, but none of those guys in there were really ‘in their right mind’.” He hit a stop light, cracking his neck as he watched the cars pass by, “Is there anything you need while we’re out? Water? Migraine meds?” He glanced over at Michael to see him staring at him intently, and he felt his cheeks get warmer.

The lad sighed, “I don’t need anything, but- can we not go back yet? Ray’s gonna yell when he finds out what happened.”

Ryan was exhausted, but he couldn’t say no to that face, “You want me to drive around in circles? Park by your complex?”

“Your house.”

/That/ got his attention, “My house?”

“My place is shady as fuck- I don’t wanna go there. Show me your place or something.” Ryan was going to protest- Ray would hate it if the lad came home smelling completely of alpha-

-but he already smelled like alphas, and he was giving the gent a face he couldn’t refuse, 

“...Just for a bit, okay? Text Ray and let him know I’ll be bringing you home tonight.”

“Phone’s dead.”

Fuck, he was right, “Uh, here-” He pulled his out of his back pocket, “Use mine.”

Against his better judgement, he turned around and began to head to his house, eager to be in the comfort of his own home. He saw the lad typing beside him, hoping he was texting his roommate and not the gent’s mother or something. The next time he looked over the omega was snapping pictures of himself on his phone, “Having fun?”

“Tons Rye-bread.”

He quirked his eyebrow, “Rye-bread?”

The lad giggled, “It’s your new name. Because if you shorten ‘Ryan’ it turns to ‘Ry’ and that reminds me of ‘Rye’....like the bread.”

Holy shit the kid was more far gone than he thought, “Alright then. Did you text Ray?”

The lad yawned, putting Ryan’s phone in the cupholder, “I told him that you came like a knight in shining armor.”

The gent chuckled, trying not to get distracted by the cute comments, “Good. Ray cares about you a fuckton; You don’t want him to start worrying about you.” The longer he sat in the car, the more he wondered if drunk Michael would tell him what their deal with alphas were, “You must’ve been scared around all those alphas in the bar huh.”

Michael took the bait, “Not really. I mean, being surrounded by that many knotheads is always scary, but I had a plan. If Ray were there he woulda shit his pants though.”

“Why?” 

Drunk Michael apparently didn’t mind disclosing all his secrets to the gent, “Ray was hurt real bad by an alpha. The dude took advantage of him during one of his first heats and threatened him when he tried to tell someone.”

Ryan felt sick to his stomach even thinking about it. He’d /seen/ how defensive Ray got, and he only met the kid a few times in passing. He’d heard about similar stories before, but knowing the victim made it worse, “I didn’t know. I’m sorry…” He finally made it to his neighborhood, pulling into his driveway, “Is that why you two live together?”

Michael nodded, fiddling with the overhead visor, “We got a place together- Ray was too afraid to live alone after that. Both of us have shitty income though, so that’s how we ended up in that dumpy apartment.” He realized that they had stopped and tugged on Ryan’s sleeve, “Show me your house.”

Ryan had so many more questions he wanted to ask, but he figured he’d give the lad a chance to explore. He got out and opened the door for the drunk lad, unprepared to be latched onto again. He led them both inside, maneuvering his arm around the omega to take off his coat, “This is where I live. We probably shouldn’t stay too long though, or Ray will kill me.” His home wasn’t necessarily interesting anyway. His living room was tiny, and he only spent time in here when he was gaming.

Michael gravitated toward his console games, and he thought it would be safe to take a seat on his couch. Unfortunately, the second the omega saw him relaxing, he joined him, leaning against Ryan’s arm and causing him to hold his breath. Maybe letting the lad see his home wasn’t a good idea after all.

He tried to distract himself from how close they were, “So, uh, is the reason you don’t have an alpha because of Ray? Or do you share a similar experience?” 

The omega shrugged, “It’s not really the same thing, but /I don’t know/… I thought I would be an alpha growing up. Hell, out of three brothers, I was the only omega in the /entire/ fucking family. And its annoying. Omegas always have to be ‘careful’ ‘cause you fuckwads can’t control yourselves. We have to have safety in numbers and take stupid fucking suppressants that do nothing except make it more convenient for other people. It makes our scents less ‘distracting’ and forces our heats into schedules. And…” The lad trailed off, caught up on whatever he was planning on saying. The lad eventually dropped it altogether, “I don’t know, It’s bullshit.”

Ryan didn’t realize the omega had this much frustration pent up inside, but some of the lad’s actions finally made sense, “...Is that why you haven’t been taking your suppressants?”

He nodded, “Omegas have natural heat cycles. Some omegas are blessed with heats that last like three days, and others need like nine. Suppressants force you to have five days, start-to-finish. It’s a fucking pain. I have a natually short one, and I really /really/ don’t like heats.” He leaned his head on Ryan’s shoulder, and suddenly the gent was hyper aware of how good he smelled, “Alphas are shits about it too. I mean, not all of us are trying to please alphas. Not all of us want to get in committed relationships just to make life easier. Life for omegas shouldn’t be so damn hard in the first place.”

Ryan let the words simmer in his mind, wondering if the lad would regret telling him all this stuff tomorrow. He felt like he learned about a whole different side of Michael; it just took a large dose of alcohol to learn about it, “I think that’s respectable. You have a strong stance on your rights, and you stick by them.”

Michael hummed in agreement, and Ryan thought he could feel the vibrations down his spine. Afraid that drunk Michael may be more than just ‘talkative’, he tried to stand up, “Well we should probably get back.”

His worries were confirmed when, instead of standing, Michael laid down on his couch, “Your couch smells like you.”

“Well I would hope so. Come on.”

Michael shook his head, “Nah.”

He sighed, “Michael, Ray is gonna get worried.” The lad was practically rubbing his face into his throw pillow, “You- you might not wanna do that. He probably isn’t gonna like you smelling too much like-”

“I know,” the little fucker grinned, “He’d probably force me to sleep in the living room if I smelled like this. I mean, I’m /already/ in a living room; why don’t I just stay here?”

“You know why. It’s not ethical for two coworkers- an alpha and omega- to spend the night under the same roof-”

“What if I didn’t want to be /just/ two coworkers, huh?” He grinned at Ryan without a care in the world, “You’re like the best person ever.”

Ryan felt his face turn beet red, and he tried to recover, “You’re just drunk. You wouldn’t be saying that if you were sober.” Even though he defended that the lad didn’t mean him, there was a small dark part of him that hoped he really did mean it. Michael always smelled so damn good, and he still couldn’t get the memory of him rubbing his nose into his neck out of his mind.

The omega huffed, “I do fucking mean it. I’ll prove it to you, if you want,” he winked, and his heart began to pump faster. 

“Michael!” Ryan panicked, refusing to let any suggestive thoughts travel down to his dick. Not now, when Michael was vulnerable. How come every time the lad showed affection, it was when he was too mentally compromised to consent?

He needed to defuse the situation fast, “How about this-” he couldn’t help his voice from cracking, “I’ll let you stay here, in the /living room/, tonight. If you say the same thing tomorrow, then we’ll talk, alright?”

“Deal Rye-Bread.” Michael grinned, and the alpha high-tailed it upstairs before the lad could change his mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I genuinely want to know if y'all like this chapter. We're getting into the thick of it now.


	11. Ryan and Michael

Ryan couldn’t sleep that night. He couldn’t stop thinking about Michael, and the many directions that tomorrow could go. What if it were true- that Michael wanted them to be in a relationship? Was he ready for that sort of thing? What if the lad was lying? It would suck to pretend that last night never happened. He didn’t want to pretend Michael didn’t cling to his side and call him is ‘knight in shining armor’. 

The second it hit 7am, he was up and heading downstairs to ‘make breakfast’ (and hopefully enough noise to wake up the lad and settle this once and for all). He was pleased to see the omega already awake and flipping through TV channels, “Hey,” he greeted, voice gravelly from sleep.

The lad glared up at him, “Why is your TV so damn bright?”

‘Hangover’. “Sorry, let me get you some water.” Stupid Haywood- he should’ve remembered to tell the lad to hydrate last night so this wouldn’t happen. He got the omega a glass of water, trying not to focus on how cute Michael looked with his disheveled hair, “You sleep alright?”

He shrugged, “As good as it could’ve been.” He yawned, “Sorry for making you come get me. I wasn’t expecting things to happen how they did.”

“I didn’t mind,” It was nice to see a different side of the lad and learn some new information about him and his roommate, “Do you...remember anything?”

The lad raised an eyebrow at him, trying to search his face for a specific reaction, “Yeah. I wasn’t blackout drunk.”

“Oh.” Even though the omega probably wanted to drink his water in peace, Ryan /needed/ to know if Michael was legit last night or not, “Even...the deal? About you sleeping here and such?”

Realization dawned on Michael, and he chuckled nervously and looked down at his feet, “Yeah, I sorta hoped /you/ wouldn’t remember that part.”

His tone did not sound happy, and he panicked, “It’s alright- everyone says weird things when they’re drunk. We can pretend it never happened.”

Michael looked up at him, “What? No, I just am pissed I opened my big mouth- Ryan I-”

“It’s fine, I get it. You’re a very independent omega; like I said last night, I respect that.” He turned away, prepared to lock himself in his room and hide for a few hours.

“Ryan!” Michael shouted after him. Despite his embarrassment, he forced himself to stop and turn around. The omega stared at him for a moment before donning a grin and pointing to the same couch he’d been sleeping on, “Sit your ass down.”

Once again, Ryan found himself completely at the will of the feisty omega. With a worried sigh, he trudged over and sat on one side of the couch. Michael followed his lead, sitting cross-legged on the other end, facing him, “I’m sorry things came out the way they did last night; well, I’m /not/ sorry because I never would’ve had the balls to talk about it sober, but…” He trailed off, looking Ryan dead in the eye, “Do you like me?”

Well that got his attention. He immediately broke eye contact and brushed his hair out of his face. He wasn’t sure if there was a correct way to answer without sounding creepy. Could he dare to say he pined after the boy since their first meeting? How he almost regretted washing the lad’s scent out of his hair? Could he mention how much he valued the omega’s time and company in the office during lunch?

One thing was for sure, he was in far too deep to lie, “Yes,” he responded, searching for any positive or negative reactions from the lad.

Michael’s shoulders seemed to drop in relief, “Good, because that could’ve made things very awkward.” He cleared his throat, “I know I said all this shit about alphas last night- and I still agree with everything I said- but despite all that I still want a relationship.” He crossed his arms and looked down at the empty cushion separating them, “I want a /real/ relationship. None of the ‘finding an alpha to get claimed and make heats more bearable’ or ‘fulfilling my role as an omega’ bullshit. Just two people who like each other and want to be together.”

Ryan nodded, understanding where the lad was coming from. It was so normal for omega’s to be pressured into relationships to make lives easier for alphas. Heaven forbid an omega try to mate with anyone /besides/ an alpha. His stomach twisted as he remembered his gut reaction when Geoff first told him about the lads. He was so used to societal pressures that he had spoken against their relationship as well.

Michael’s eyebrows furrowed, “I’ve tried real relationships before, but they haven’t ended well… It turns out there are some expectations with being an omega that people can’t overlook…”

Ryan desperately wanted to dig for more information as to why his past relationships didn’t work out but the lad was practically radiating discomfort. He stayed silent, hope brewing in his stomach that the lad wanted a relationship with him. He could do a real relationship, whatever that entailed.

Michael finally met his gaze again, “I haven’t given up though, I refuse to let this shitty system stop me from finding someone who will genuinely want me, regardless of my status.” He shot the gent a sly grin, “And I like you too, you know.”

Ryan’s face burned, “I- uh-” He never imagined the lad liking him in a romantic sense. He was hopeful, but assumed the lad was solidifying a friendship with the dude he accidentally scented with once,

The lad laughed at his flustered moment, “You’re an alpha, but you’ve never once given me a reason to doubt your intentions. You’re cute and I trust you.” He scooted a little closer to the gent, “I want to be in a relationship with you.”

“So…” Ryan struggled to think with Michael’s words clouding his brain, “You want me to court you?”

The lad scoffed, “Fuck no,” Ryan’s heart sunk until the lad spoke up again, “I want to date you.”

Dating- a long lost art, “Dating- like boyfriends?” Michael nodded. It was unconventional for sure, but Ryan assumed he could do many of the same things a courting alpha would do as a date. Namely, he could pay for shit and feed the lad compliments.

He was almost nervous. He knew he liked Michael and wanted to be with him but he was afraid he would do something to fuck it up.

However, he wanted to try his best anyway, “Sure. I’ll date you.” What a concept.

Michael smiled like a ray of sunshine,”Cool…” He yawned, looking around the quiet living room, “Normally I’d say ‘let’s get started’ but I actually want to go home now- I still stink like alphas and I want to rest up before work tomorrow.”

Ryan wouldn’t fight him on wanting to leave; he wanted to drop the lad off and immediately pass out himself, “I’ll bring you back. It’s a good thing you texted Ray last night- I’m sure the lad would’ve burned down the city otherwise.”

Michael paled, making Ryan stop in his tracks, “Did I message Ray?”

“Yeah, you took my phone and-”

“No-” He covered his mouth, “When I took your phone you didn’t have Ray’s contact information. I- I couldn’t remember it, so I started taking photos…”

Ryan felt the panic seep in. He quickly opened the messages app on his phone. Just as Michael suggested, there were no messages sent last night, “Oh fuck…”

Ray was going to murder him.

\---

Ryan never thought he could be so afraid of an omega. Michael, the normally confident fucker, was wringing his wrists as they entered the elevator and began to rise towards their demise. “He’s gonna kill me,” he mumbled. Ray was not the person to fuck around with. 

Michael scratched his head, “If he doesn’t kill me first, that is.” He glanced up at the alpha, “You don’t have to come in with me if you don’t want.”

The offer was tempting. However, he wanted to make his intentions clear with the fellow omega, “Nah, we’re in this together.” Together, It sounded just as good in his head as it did out loud.

The exited the elevator hand in hand, and with extreme caution Michael opened the door.

Ray was there and ready for them to arrive. There was nothing ‘omega’ about the way he stood and glared daggers at the pair, “Michael!? Where the fuck have you been? I’ve been worried sick! You didn’t answer your phone and Miles didn’t know where you were-” 

He could /feel/ Michael’s hand get sweaty, “Ray, I’m fine. I promise. My phone died last night and I stayed at Ryan’s place. Things got….complicated.”

Ray beckoned Michael to come over to him, and to his surprise the lad immediately complied. Ray looked him over, examining Michael’s body for marks. Despite the obvious anger radiating off him, the lad was still gentle as he moved Michael’s chin to check for bite marks.The dark haired omega’s expression hardened as he sniffed the lad’s wrist, “Why do you smell like alphas?”

“I sort of got in some trouble at an alpha bar. Ryan came to pick me up.”

Ray’s eyes bulged out, “What the fuck were you doing at an alpha bar?! You could’ve gotten seriously hurt /or worse/…” The attention then turned to the alpha, and the lad’s expression was not nearly as nice, “Why didn’t you bring him straight home?”

“He didn’t want to come home smelling like the bar.” It was a very simple explanation. The lad seemed hesitant to believe him, but the red-headed omega nodded to support him. “Sorry to make you worry.” Figuring that there was no better time to bring it up, he brought up their conversation from this morning, “We- uh… We talked about things in the morning- I was gonna start dating Michael.”

Ray looked completely shocked by this information, “You...and him?” He sent a quizzical look to Michael who was blushing, “You two agreed to this?” The anger was gone, replaced by disbelief and concern.

They both nodded, unsure how Ray was going to react. Would he ban Ryan from the house to keep his ‘alpha stink’ out? Would he criticize Michael for his choice in alpha?

Ray looked torn as to how to react. Even though Michael was against the ways alphas treated omegas, Ray was far more resistant to the idea of interacting with alphas. Ryan had a small inkling as to why he was afraid, and he feared the lad would shun Michael for wanting a relationship with an alpha. After a long, painful moment, Ray cleared his throat, “Make sure you two are safe about it.”

Ryan let out a loud exhale. He was honestly expecting the lad to put up more of a fuss, “Safe is my middle name,” he grinned.

The redheaded omega caught Ryan’s eye for a moment, and looked away quickly to hide his blush, “Can i scent with you dude? I stink.”

Ray had completely abandoned his tough exterior, nodding, “Go take a shower.” He glanced over at Ryan, “Shoo you horny knothead,” he phrased it like an insult, but there was a hint of teasing in his voice.  
\----

Geoff found out on accident.

At this point in his life as a manager, he’d seen a lot of shit. He’s seen full on fist fights break out over a pot of coffee and people hooking up on a copy machine. It hardly phased him anymore. He doubted he’d ever see anything shocking in the workplace again after the stapler incident (and he still shivered at the cry of pain he heard as the dude’s balls were forever altered).

He was wrong- it could always get stranger.

He’d decided after a lazy afternoon that he was gonna head home early. His work wasn’t billowing out of his desk today, and it seemed like a great day to take a mental break.

It was even more fun to sneak out without telling anyone. Let whoever needed his signature race around the office floor for a while. He gathered his belongings and began his escape, making sure to avoid the eyesight of his higher-ups. He was almost in the clear, heading straight for the elevator to bring him to the lobby, when a distinct scent crossed his path. A fireplace- the office didn’t have a fireplace. He backed up a few steps, following the smell back to the floor’s coat closet. Fuck, did someone leave their lighter in their jacket or something? Assuming the worst, he opened the door and prepared to look for the source of the burning smell.

What he found instead was his best friend staring up at his with expanded pupils and a shocked expression. Attached to him was a smaller body practically /reeking/ of omega. It took a second for Geoff to recognize who he was looking at- Michael, “What the fuck?”

The two instantly separated, the alpha patting down his disheveled shirt, “Geoff, it’s a long story-”

“What the /fuck/?” he repeated, mind fuzzy from a mix of the shock and the overwhelming smell. They must have been scenting in there and got carried away. “Are you two together?”

The two glanced at each other, almost debating over what to say, “Sorta,” Ryan shrugged, voice deeper than normal, “We may or may not be dating.”

“Courting?”

“Dating,” Ryan repeated

How had he missed this? He spent every free moment with Ryan and an increasing amount of time with the two omegas. It was physically impossible to /not/ know the two were hooking up, “Since when?”

Michael finally spoke up, seemingly regaining his wits, “A few weeks. He saved me from an awkward bar situation.”

A few weeks. Either he was oblivious, or the two of them were purposely sneaking around. He wanted to keep bombarding them about questions: who brought up courting first? Why was Ryan in a bar? Why hadn’t they said anything? However, he was caught up on a nagging thought, “What does /Ray/ think about this?” He didn’t even like the smell of an alpha on his couch; now Michael was going to be coming home practically bathed in alpha scent.

Michael shrugged, “He didn’t mind that much…” Geoff watched in awe as the lad reached for Ryan’s hand without hesitation. He could remember the two omegas fighting him tooth and nail to stay away from them. Now Michael was caught red-handed getting scent drunk with his friend.

Geoff jerked his head to the side, “Get back to work kid. I pay you to make sales, not make-out.” 

Michael rolled his eyes before running back to the sales department, leaving only the two alphas. Ryan ran an embarrassed hand through his hair while Geoff stared him down. Geoff found this highly amusing; the gent probably thought he was going to get chewed out.

Instead, the pack alpha smiled, “It’s nice to see Michael so relaxed.”

Ryan immediately perked up, “He’s like a completely different omega…” He readjusted his glasses and rolled down his sleeves, “He’s so energetic and captivating. We haven’t actually /done/ anything, but I like him so much…”

“What caused this change of heart? Both him and Ray seemed so dead set against alphas before.” The gent stiffened, and Geoff knew the expression the gent sported too well, “...You know something I don’t.” 

“I can’t talk about it,” Ryan grimaced, “It’s their stories to choose to share.”

“But…” Geoff really wanted to push for more information. He wanted to understand why Michael stopped taking his suppressants and why Ray was ready to claw his face off at any given moment. It wasn’t normal; there was nothing ordinary about their mannerisms and he was concerned as a friend and potential alpha. 

Spending time with Ray was hard enough. The more he got to know the sassy omega, the more he fell for his charm. The lad had a way of commanding attention that he didn’t even seem to know he had. Even so, there were some moments where the omega in the lad seemed to shine through. Sometimes, if Geoff could coax him into cooking, the lad would slip into a soft rhythm of fetching Geoff items from the cupboards with a soft hum that he probably didn’t realize he was making. The requests for ingredients weren’t orders, but the lad compiled so quickly and calmly, almost like an omega that had complete trust in their alpha. An omega that sought comfort in /guidance/.

He was being ridiculous, of course. Ray would always snap out of it with a sarcastic remark, and by the time the lad’s heat rolled around he would be back to hating Geoff. Ray wasn’t his omega.

Ryan noticed Geoff’s loss of attention and began to sneak out of the closet. Right before the gent was out of reach, he grabbed the man’s shoulder, “Hey,” his tone became serious, “Try not to scent too much with Michael in the office alright?”

He swore Ryan’s face turned red, and damn that was hilarious, “Sorry we got carried away-”

“I don’t care about that,” He looked over at the sales department, “Michael’s not on suppressants, and I don’t like the way the alphas in the sales department have been treating him.” He locked eyes with the alpha, “I don’t want any of them to start getting ideas.”

Ryan understood and nodded swiftly, “We’ll keep it out of the office.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dating. What a concept.
> 
> Geoffray is coming up, but now that Myan is here, its here to stay.
> 
> Also, thank you for your comments- I'm so glad to hear what y'all think of the plot and relationships as they develop,


	12. Michael Takes A Chance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just imagine there's a month or two in between this one and the last one. Time has passed. I time-skipped because I'm in grad school and I'm tired :p

“...You’re doing /what/?” Ray gawked at his roommate.

Michael tried to remain calm, but he knew from the moment he brought it up to Ryan that Ray would not approve, “I was gonna spend this upcoming heat at Ryan’s house.”

Ray continued to stare at the lad, panic building, “You- You’ve got to be joking!? You’ve only known him for like, four months?” 

Michael shrugged at the lad, “I think its a good idea. We seem to be getting along really well.” 

“A heat is serious though- what if he takes advantage of you-”

“He’s won’t.” Ryan wasn’t like that, “He is only going to coax me through it. Food, water, maybe a little bit of scenting and nesting, but that’s it.”

Ray sat down on the couch, and Michael legitimately began second guessing himself. Truthfully, he was afraid to spend his heat with the alpha. He still hadn’t told the gent the truth about him, and they were approaching situations that could get sexual /very/ fast. Ray could tell he was seeping with worry too, “Aren’t you afraid that he’ll try to-”

“Yes.” Michael crossed his arms, “But I don’t think he will.”

“Are you really willing to risk that chance?” Ray wouldn’t approve, regardless of what Michael said at this point. He understood- Ray was only repeating the little fears that were already floating around in his head. Ryan could lose it and take advantage of him. He could try to knot him-

He cleared his throat, remembering how to breathe, “Yes. I’m terrified Ray, but Ryan has never given me a reason /not/ to trust him. Even the first day we met and I fucking scented with him mid-heat! But I need to do this. And you-” He sat down across from the omega, “-are going to call Geoff.”

“What? Fuck no.” Ray’s response was instantaneous.

“I’m not gonna leave you here alone to deal with your heat alone. Geoff has already helped us a couple of times, so we know we can trust him.”

“I’d rather be alone!” Ray’s leg twitched nervously, and Michael knew why. The last time he was alone during his heat was when things went to shit. That was when Ray was hurt, “I’d rather be alone,” he reaffirmed.

“We both know you’re full of shit. Ray- I’m not leaving until you call him. Either you have him or I stay.”

Ray’s tone changed. As much as he didn’t want to ever be alone with an alpha ever again, he still wanted /Michael/ to be happy, “Why can’t you just go to Ryan’s anyway? I’ve been alone before.”

Michael grimaced, “You know why I can’t do that Ray. You’re my first priority.” He would never leave Ray alone, no matter how much it affected his life. But he couldn’t let the lad continue on this way either; he needed other people he could ask for support when Michael wasn’t around. Geoff could be trusted, and he knew his roommate was sweet on the gent (whether he acknowledged it or not).

Ray sighed in defeat, pulling out his phone and beginning to type in the number. The lad held the phone to his ear with a defeated scowl, “Hey,” he grumbled, barely giving the gent time to respond, “My heat starts on the 12th and Michael won’t be there so you need to be here apparently.” The deadpan tone was almost amusing, “You know where the key is, just do the normal shit I guess.”

Michael relaxed as Ray tucked the phone away, “Thank you.” That couldn’t’ve been easy for the omega, but Michael felt much better about the lad’s well-being with Geoff there to make sure he ate and bathed.

Ray now looked at Michael with concern, “Have you told Ryan about you yet?”

Fuck Ray, “No. Not yet. We aren’t there yet.” He felt the blood drain from his face at the mere thought of discussing the dreaded topic Ray was referring to.

Ray crossed his arms, “You should. And if he gives you any trouble call me. I’ll bust in mid-heat if I have too.” He forced a smile, and Michael smiled back. Things were changing, but if everything went well, it would all be for the better.  
\---  
Geoff got the call late Sunday night, munching on chips and watching mindless reality TV to unwind, “Hey,” he answered with his mouth half-full, “You wanna come over and play games?”

“Uhh…” Ryan sounded tired, and the pack alpha paused with a mouth full of tortilla to hear the strange noises coming from the background. Ryan sounded like he’d gotten a new kitten or something, because all he could hear were quiet little whines-

Those weren’t from a kitten, he realized, “Is Michael there with you?”

“Yeah, he’s spending his heat with me, remember?”

No, he didn’t remember. He thought the lads’ heats were coming up, but he assumed they were spending it together as always, “No! When did this fucking happen?” He was utterly dumbfounded that Michael chose to spend his heat with his courting alpha, “Are you guys fucking now?”

Ryan barked out a laugh, “No! No, all I’m doing is making sure he eats and letting him scent with me. I won’t even stay in the same room as him when he’s riled up- nice idea with the noseplugs, by the way.”

He threw away the mental image of his friend sporting the same neon yellow noseplugs in favor of a more pressing question, “If Michael is there, does that mean Ray is with you too?”

The other line went dead silent. 

“Geoff,” Ryan’s voice leveled, “Where are you right now?”

“In my house!” He looked around, panic starting to creep in. 

Before he could even start questioning the situation, a loud voice could be heard in the background, “What!?” Michael sounded absolutely broken down by his heat, “Why the fuck are you not with him Geoff?!?”

There had to have been something he missed right? “I didn’t know!” He defended. He didn’t even know Michael was with Ryan, so how the hell would he have known that Ray was alone.

Fuck. Ray was alone.

He heard Ryan ‘sshsh-ing’ Michael, but the lad continued on, “He called you Geoff!! I made him call you- I fucking watched him call you!!”

“I never got a call Michael.” He went through his recent calls, just to make sure. Nothing. The truth hurt; If Michael said he forced him to call Geoff, the lad probably faked a whole conversation to satiate the angry omega.

Ray /really/ didn’t want Geoff to be there.

Michael’s panic snapped him out of it, “Oh fuck, he’s alone- He can’t be alone-” The omega whined in pain, and Ryan’s attempts to calm him continued, “I- I need to go back Ry. I need to go-”

“In the middle of your heat?” Ryan questioned, “Michael you need to lay down-”

“He /can’t/ be alone-” Michael fought the alpha.

Geoff cleared his throat, “Ryan, stay with Michael and keep him calm. I’ll head over right now.” He stood and brushed the crumbs off his shirt, preparing to leave all his shit the way it was.

Michael was distraught on the other line, but Ryan seemed to be getting him under control, “Okay, let me know when you’re there and if he’s okay. Michael-” the words were quieter, “Just relax, you’re worked up. Can you go nest while Geoff takes care of it?”

“No!” The omega squeaked, “I’m not gonna fucking rest while Ray-ah-” The lad’s rant cut off in a pained yelp, and Geoff paused at the doorway.

Ryan grunted, “Geoff message me when everything is okay. Michael is hurting himself by fighting his hormones this much...What do I do?” The gent’s voice was laced with worry for the omega. In any other situation, Geoff would’ve laughed. It was the alpha’s first time helping with an omega’s heat, and he was probably clueless as to what to do.

His pack alpha mindset kicked in, “Bring him to his nest and put a scented pillow over his eyes- the weight and grounding smell should calm him down.” He unlocked his car doors, anxious for what he’ll find once he got to the lad’s apartment, “I’ll let you know as soon as Ray is okay.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thoughts?


	13. Geoff Tries His Best

Geoff let himself in without knocking, emergency heat kit nearly spilling out of bag as he threw it onto the couch. He didn’t have the noseplugs in yet, but for the moment his worry was overpowering even the strongest of scents. He’d scared away the younger alpha hanging by the apartment door, but he was still afraid that another alpha could’ve weaseled his way in through a window or something. The living room looked clear, and he knocked on the bedroom door, “Ray?” His voice cracked, “I’m coming in.” He wasn’t going to wait for the lad to respond, if he even decided to. He opened the door slowly and peered inside at the bed.

Ray was sitting upright, curled up in his sheets and drenched in his own sweat. He was in the thick of his heat, and he was all alone. The lad stared back at him with scared, dark eyes, and Geoff couldn’t help but sigh in relief. At least the lad was safe now. “Ryan told me Michael was spending his heat at his house- why didn’t you tell me you were going to be alone?” He knew the lad wasn’t going to give him a straight answer, and walked to the bathroom to set up a bath without waiting for a response. He needed- /wanted/ to take care of Ray, but the lad was likely going to fight him, even in full heat. 

When the bath was ready, he re-entered the bedroom and gestured for Ray to come, “This will make you feel better. Come on.” The omega remained still, “It was a pre-heat body wash in it. I know you’re a bit late for ‘pre-heat’, but it’ll still feel good….I’ll sit in the living room, okay?” With Geoff’s assurance, he rolled out of bed and trudged into the bathroom. Understanding the lad would want some privacy, he quietly closed the door behind him and got to work. There were sheets to be changed and food to make before the lad was done. 

He immediately sent a text to Ryan, ‘I am here. Ray will be okay.’ Hopefully it would be enough to calm his distressed friend. Michael hadn’t just been worried; he was so panicked that he snapped back into reality mid-heat. Something about Ray being alone terrified the lad so much….

What was he even doing? Once the omega was able to form words, he’d kick him out for sure. He hadn’t even called Geoff for help...maybe he really didn’t like the gent after all…

He shut those thoughts out for now. Even if Ray didn’t like him, he needed the lad to be safe.

An hour of rushed chores later, he heard the water drain from the tub and the creaky bathroom door open. It was time for round two; Geoff knocked on the bedroom door again, “Hey, I have a shake for you- you need to eat something...I’m coming in.” He entered, this time sporting two neon yellow noseplugs and a large shake. He didn’t know the last time Ray ate, and frankly he was too afraid to ask. The lad had a pillow between his thighs- it was probably the only thing he could do at this point- and his face was buried in his pillow, “You need to drink this.” 

The lad shook his head, and Geoff sighed, “Drink this and I’ll leave you alone.” 

Again, no response, “Ray-” He did his best to keep his voice calm, “I can’t force you to do anything, but you need to keep up your energy. Please?” As a manager, it took a lot for him to say please.

The lad curled in on himself, refusing to look him in the eye. 

He didn’t want to do this, but he was putting the omega’s health first. He gently reached out and tugged on the pillow so that Ray’s face would tumble to the side. He angled the swirly straw to the lad and placed it against the lad’s lips. The omega could close himself off as much as he wanted, but Geoff needed him to eat for fear that he would pass out.

Finally, the lad caved in. His lips curled around the straw and he took a few small sips before shutting his eyes tight and whining.

He hated seeing Ray like this. It was obvious that he was completely lost and fighting his instincts to knot. Even with his apparent hatred of alphas, it still wasn’t enough for a mateless omega to /not/ want to knot with the only person in his apartment. Being alone during a heat was no laughing matter; it was so easy to get lost in a dangerous headspace and forget how to care for yourself. Ray had seemingly reached that point and was unable to even quiet the painful fire in his stomach. Geoff smiled softly, ignoring the way his heart ached, “Thank you,” he spoke as he exited the bedroom.   
\---

Hours passed. He left the lad alone for the most part, occasionally peeking his head in to make sure nothing urgent needed his attention. He tried to busy himself with Netflix and cleaning, but he couldn’t help but worry about the lad. He’d never heard of a person successfully taking care of their heat induced lust on their own before. Unclaimed omegas always had a surrogate around to help out. The lad never looked any better either. His beedsheets were already starting to look gross and Ray was seemingly halfway between a moan and a sob. Geoff knew that there wasn't anything the lad could do at this point; Geoff /could/ go buy him some knotting toys, but there was no saying if Ray would be lucid enough to know how to use them. The best Geoff could do was make sure he ate and try to make him more comfortable by changing his bedsheets. 

He’d called Ryan to check on Michael; apparently the fiery lad was doing much better than Ray was now that the he was assured his friend was safe. It must be nice for Ryan- it was his first heat having his (unofficial) omega all to himself. Meanwhile, he was forced to listen to needy whimpers and unsatisfied moans through the door. He almost asked Ryan to bring Michael back to help, but he couldn’t ruin their time together.

There was a loud bang on the door, causing him to jump. He was so lost in his worries that he forgot to open the windows and let the scent escape. He sighed and cracked his knuckles, prepared to scare off another knot head.

However, when he opened the door, he felt the body barrel into him at full force, knocking him over. The knothead sniffed him once then stood, clearly looking for Ray.

Not on his damn watch.

He got up immediately, grabbing the asshole by the collar of his shirt and yanking him back against the wall, “Get the fuck out of my apartment,” he growled. He wasn’t strong, but his status as a pack alpha and his protective nature gave him the extra strength he needed. 

The other alpha struggled to get loose, “You’re not taking care of the omega. /Someone/ has to-” The boy was cut off when Geoff slammed him against the wall again, elbow over his throat.

His alpha instincts completely took over, “He’s mine, regardless if I knot him or not. Get. Lost.” The order was clear and his voice was low and controlled. /This/ was the true power of being a pack alpha. He has the ability to make others obey-

-he just doesn’t like to use it. He wasn’t a manipulator or a dictator. Ray would probably skin him alive if he spoke to the omega like that. It was only used in situations such as these, to keep others safe and ward off threats.

Realizing that Geoff was more powerful, the boy finally listened, growling as he stormed out of the apartment. He slammed the door and leaned against it, body aching from the physical assault.

Then, he made the mistake of inhaling through his nose.

So much cinnamon. The air was a potent mix of delicious cinnamon buns and omega need, and he felt his body gravitating to the bedroom himself. Ray /needed/ someone-

No. He dug his teeth into his cheek and rushed over to the shitty apartment windows, prying it open. He could never do something to Ray. He wanted the lad to stop fearing alphas, and he wanted that fear to stop with him.  
\---

11 PM. Their previous arrangement stated that he was not allowed to be in the apartment from 11-7 AM, and he was fucking ready to leave. He needed fresh air if he was going to survive a few more days of this.

He tapped on the lad’s door, “Ray, I’m leaving now alright? I’ll be back tomorrow to check on you.” The lad would probably be thrilled to hear he would get rid of the ‘gross alpha stink’ for the night. 

Geoff gathered his belongings in silence and began to take out his keys to lock up.

“Stay.”

He swore every bone in his body froze. He turned around to see the omega leaning against the bedroom doorway, eyes full of panic. The single plea from the lad brought out the alpha in him, and he had to force himself to remain distanced from Ray. His instincts practically demanded he scented and cuddled the omega until he felt better., “It’s eleven,” he explained, assuming the lad just didn’t realize how late it was, “It’s your rule. I need to leave.” Omegas said strange things in heat all the time. He would admit that Ray asking him to do /anything/ was a shock, but he wasn’t going to break a written contract without a damn good reason.

Ray wasn’t having it. He surged forward, swiftly wrapping his arms around Geoff’s torso and squeezing, “/Stay/,” he pleaded again. He was unprepared for the contact, mind suddenly rushing to places it /shouldn’t/ be. ‘Omega. My omega. Must protect.’

He immediately caved to the lad’s request, “Okay,” he breathed, trying to resist the urge to bury his nose into the lad’s hair, “I’ll stay. I’ll stay on the couch.” As much as he needed to get a break from the potent smell and raging hormones, he wouldn’t leave his omega in need.

Ray held onto him a moment longer, clinging on to the only companionship he had. Part of Geoff wanted to believe that the lad actually wanted him around; he wanted to think the lad was beginning to trust him. Unfortunately, he had to assume the heat was just making him seek out the closest available person.

He whined into Geoff’s chest, “Need you.”

He wished it were true, “Go lay down Ray,” he fought to keep his voice level and soft, “You need your rest.” He was so fucking close to breaking. He was afraid that, if the lad tried to scent him, he’d lose every ounce of composure and claim him on the spot.

Thankfully, the omega nodded, dragging himself back towards his room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Ray.   
> Let me know if you want a chapter with Ray's POV. I didn't write it, but I could.


	14. Bonus Chapter- Ray is Hot

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's a bonus scene. Ray's POV during the last chapter. 
> 
> Just a warning, from here on its gonna be a LOVELY hurt/comfort ride :)

Ray was hot.

Not just hot. His skin was melting off. He was drowning in a pool of sweat and frustration and /need/. He needed water. When he was lucid he told himself to get water, but he never got out of bed. It hurt too bad. Every time he twisted and writhed, his midsection would erupt in pain. He was empty. The emptiness ached, and he just wanted to feel whole. No matter what he did, the empty gaping void between his legs got worse.

He moaned into his flat, crappy pillow, unable to think about anything else besides how badly he didn’t want to be alone.  
\---  
The lad wasn’t sure what time it was.

His apartment window faced a tall brick wall, so even if he could get up to open the blinds he would know jack shit. His phone was dead; he’d forgotten to plug it in before things got bad. It was a rookie mistake, but he was too damn hot to care.

His throat ached. His lips, dry and chapped, throbbed and begged for friction or water- either would do. His stomach hurt; the pains ebbed and flowed when he positioned himself on his gross nest. He was hungry, but the kitchen was so far. Everything felt like a walk through the desert. He was lucky he hadn’t needed the bathroom, because he doubted he could make the trip. 

He missed Michael. The lad’s clothes littered the bed in an attempt to feel safe, but all it did was make him choke out dry sobs. It was strange- tears wouldn’t come anymore, no matter how much he needed to cry. He needed Michael, his Michael. The omega knew him so well. He knew what to do when the pain was unbearable. He’d press his thumbs into sensitive areas, releasing the tension from the lad’s body. He covered him and scented with him and made him feel safe.

He wasn’t safe. The fear sunk in and made his weak heart race. An alpha could break down the door at any minute. Ray would be alone, and he couldn’t say no. He couldn’t even talk; he lost the ability to speak hours ago when his last shred of sanity fizzled out in the heat. He was so hot. He wanted to be safe, and filled.

He buried his head under his pillow, body convulsing as cool air rushed between his thighs. Fuck this. Fuck everything. If he slept, he wouldn’t feel the pain.  
\---  
He faded in an out of consciousness more times than he could count. The pain would wake him up. He hadn’t gone soft in hours and nothing he did helped to make it go away. He kept his eyes shut, because when he opened them the world would spin. Everything was so far away; he wasn’t sure if he was even there at all. He felt isolated. He was trapped in a little distorted bubble with no sign of escape. No relief. Only pain.

He needed help. In the back of his head, warning bells rang that he needed something. /Anything/. A fucking red bull. A knot. He would take anything. 

His memories hit him like a firetruck, stopping his heat thoughts altogether. No. No knot. He didn’t want it. He couldn’t do it. Not again. Anything but that. No alpha.

No alpha.

No alpha.

Geoff.

Ray dug his fingers into the sheets, regret seeping in like warm molasses. Michael wanted him to call Geoff, but he lied. He couldn’t have Geoff here, not alone. Not without Michael-

-but Geoff would know what to do. Geoff was so good at knowing. He knew what to do with the alphas that would linger by their shitty door. He knew how to cook and keep them safe, and all Ray wanted was to feel safe. His stupid anxiety had to fuck that up too.   
\---

The front door of the apartment opened, stirring Ray from his dreamless sleep. He sat up straight, pain coursing up his back as it demanded the lad pay attention to the emptiness inside him. The world spun, making it harder to find his bedroom door. He closed his eyes tight, waiting for the pain in his head to settle before opening and adjusting.

-He was overwhelmed with fear. It could be Michael, or it could be a psycho who broke open their shitty front door. He didn’t know, and he couldn’t move. He was a pile of desert sand- any wrong move, and he would fall apart.

The door opened, and Ray caught sight of a blurry figure staring him down. A defenseless whine rose in his scratchy throat as a silent plea to be left alone. He was scared. He didn’t want it to happen again. 

The figure ignored him, entering his bathroom and starting up the tub. Ray gripped his blankets tighter, hips rutting against the fabric in a desperate attempt to feel better.

It didn’t work, of course, because it never worked.

The person re-entered the bedroom and started talking to him, but the words were distant and muddled. All he knew was that the figure hadn’t hurt him, and from his hazy perspective, he could’ve sworn he saw tattoos lining the figure’s arm.

Geoff.

Geoff was here.

Alpha.

The omega forced himself to his feet, knees threatening to buckle under the pressure. Geoff beckoned him over to the tub, coaxing him in with soft words Ray didn’t understand. The water felt a bit cold in comparison to he melted skin, but it was purple and smelled like lavender, and he was so fucking tired he didn’t care. He closed his eyes, letting the soft caresses of the water lull him to sleep.  
\---  
The world was less scary when he woke up. The water was now cold- too cold- and he reached forward with tired, shaky hands and let it drain.

Cold. He was cold, and he wanted his nest. 

He tried to get out of the tub, but his legs wouldn’t hold him and the world wouldn’t sit still for him to get his bearings. In a desperate attempt to escape, he pulled himself out of the tub and fell on his ass, crawling back to his bed in a desperate attempt to be warm.

He pulled himself onto the bed, instantly distracted by the scent of the sheets. They were new, freshly washed. When had that happened? Michael’s clothes were laid out gently on one side, and the lad immediately rolled on top of them. A pillow found his way between his thighs, barely providing enough friction to relieve the urge to mate. They still smelled like Michael- they still made him feel safe and protected. He missed his friend.

The bedroom door opened and Ray dove under the covers, heart pulsing. He’d forgotten about the figure in his room in lieu of a fresh bed and warmth. The figure stepped closer, and Ray was choked by the pure alpha scent. Whiskey. The alpha smelled like alcohol-

Geoff. It was Geoff for real. His instincts took over; one hand shot down to his hole and his body began to ache with need. Geoff would take care of him and keep him safe. Geoff always knew what to do. Geoff could take him and make the pain go away.

His second wave of instincts immediately kicked in. No- no knot. Not again. Not now. No alpha. Michael wasn’t here. Michael was safe. He needed Michael.

He groaned into his pillow, frustrated. He wanted Geoff, but he /didn’t/ want Geoff, and he was going to die if his body didn’t figure itself out soon.

He finally noticed the gent saying something, but it fell on deaf ears. He didn’t dare turn to face the gent. How had he known to come? Had he seen how he began fingering himself at the mere presence of the alpha? He was a wreck.

Suddenly, the pillow jerked to the side, and Ray’s face fell over with it. His head was so heavy it hurt, and he didn’t have the energy to hold it up. A small plastic object poked at his lips, and it took him a minute to realize what the foreign object was.

Straw.

Drink.

He was so fucking thirsty. 

His lips latched on to the drink, only managing a few sips before the painful emptiness came back. The liquid felt so good on his tongue and traveling down his throat. His stomach rejoiced at having /anything/ to satiate it. It felt good.

Geoff was here,’ the thought sunk in. The first /real/ thought in two days.

Geoff was here. He’d be okay. He would be safe.


	15. Geoff Tries His Best pt. 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank y'all for the comments- I like reading reactions (especially in the chapters to come lol)

Since the moment Ray asked him to stay, he’d been a lot more receptive and open to the gent. He drank water whenever Geoff asked him to, and even was a bit more vocal about his needs.

The problem was he was a lot more vocal overall, and the omega was driving him nuts. It was the /whines/. Every time he heard the lad whine from the other room, he had to force himself to stay on the couch. His omega needed him; the lad was begging for any sort of friction to make the overwhelming need go away-

-But he wasn’t his alpha. He wouldn’t dare break the trust they’d formed.

He called out of work the next day, afraid to leave Ray alone for even an hour. His conflict with the young alpha last night left him a bit more paranoid than before. No one was going to hurt Ray while Geoff was there.

At one point Geoff left his indent on the couch, and when he returned his coat and throw blanket were missing. The front door was still bolted shut, and Geoff knocked on and opened Ray’s door, as he was the only possible thief. He glanced in the bedroom, immediately spotting his gray hoodie beside the resting lad. It wasn’t the only piece of clothing the boy was hoarding; multiple articles of Michael’s clothing had found its way to the bed as well. ‘/Nesting/’, he realized. The restless omega was trying to surround himself with scents he felt safe with.

Geoff blushed- Ray felt safe with his scent.

His tipping point came the next afternoon. He was trying to take a nap- he hadn’t slept over the sounds of Ray in distress- when the lad’s pleas picked up again. He tried to turn away from the bedroom door, to pretend he couldn’t hear, but his protective nature forced him to listen and empathize. He texted Ryan to bring back Michael as soon as the lad was coherent to help his roommate, but until then there was nothing else he could do.

“Geoff-” the plea was strangled and desperate, and the alpha snapped. He made it all the way to the door before regaining control, fingers squeezing the doorknob. Ray was asking for him- he needed him to ground the omega and make him calm down. He could do that- he would give the omega the best heat he’d ever experienced.

He couldn’t. He couldn’t do it. He turned and sat in front of the door, rubbing his temples and forcing himself to take slow breaths. The kid was going to send him into a rut at this rate.

He begrudgingly took a fifteen minute break to walk to the corner store and pick up matching earplugs to mirror the plugs in his nose.  
\---

Two more days passed before Michael was back on his feet and prepared to come back to the apartment. Geoff was barely able to function, brain fried from the sensory overload. He still managed to coerce the lad into showering and eating, but he did so with clenched hands and small breaths. He was exhausted, and yet couldn’t sleep with Ray so desperate. 

He didn’t get any advance notice on when Michael was coming home- he just opened the door and flung his backpack to the side, bee-lining straight for the bedroom. Geoff watched him enter, hearing the sob of relief from the restless omega when he saw his roommate, “It’s alright Ray, I’m here…” Michael spoke softly to the lad as the door shut behind them. Ray would be okay now; he had his best friend there to take care of his obvious needs.

So why couldn’t he move?

Ryan entered the apartment a moment later, gently closing the door behind him. As he got a good whiff of the room, however, his nose crinkled, “He smells /strong/.”

Geoff nodded idly, “Yup.” His brain wandered to a dark place, picturing the things Michael would be able to do for the lad that he couldn’t. He could run his hands up and down the lad’s chest until he calmed down. He could scent with every inch of Ray’s cinnamon-soaked body until the lad was wriggling and pleading-

“Geoff?” The younger alpha took a step closer and waved his hand in front of his face to get his attention, “You alright?”

He forced himself to look at his friend, noting how tired he looked as well, “How did Michael’s heat go?”

The gent smiled, “Good. I mean, we didn’t do anything, but I coaxed him through it alright. It’s a lot harder than it looks.” Geoff smirked- he didn’t know how hard it could truly get. He was at least allowed to /touch/ his lad. “What about you? You don’t look like you’ve slept recently.”

“I haven’t. I did what I could.” He wished he could’ve done /more/.

Ryan yawned, clearly worn thin himself, “I bet you did great. It was good that the two are starting to get used to heats without each other.” He glanced at the bedroom door, “We probably should let them be, right? They’ll be fine.”

Geoff merely grunted in response, unwilling to leave the lad alone. Even with his friend around, it didn’t feel right. He needed an alpha around to protect them.

The younger alpha must’ve realized the gent wasn’t in the right state of mind, and gently took his shoulder, “Come on, let’s go.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Myan, hurt/comfort, and a WHOLE LOT of backstory are on the horizon. Stay tuned!


	16. Ryan Notices

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoops, uploading two chapters at once. #surprise  
> Enjoy! Theorize!

Ryan liked Michael a lot, but something was wrong.  
\---

Ray was out late, working an overnight shift at gamestop; naturally, Michael took advantage of this opportunity to invite Ryan over to the lad’s apartment for a movie. He loved it- relaxing with Michael after a long day, arm lazily draped over the omega’s shoulders and teasing remarks about the lad’s shitty choice in movies. Michael was curled up, texting Ray every few minutes and cackling at the horrendous acting and effects the movie had to offer. 

Things began to escalate. 

Michael was rubbing his nose into the crook of Ryan’s neck, and Ryan responded by nosing the omega’s pretty hair and mixing their scents together. He loved indulging in the sweet waves of citrus his omega-

Well, not officially his omega…

One second they were scenting, and the next Michael was leaning over to connect their lips. Ryan sighed, hands finding the lad’s cheek and deepening the kiss. It was a wonderful feeling, having the lad safely nestled in his arms. The lad was warm and inviting- a perfect fit. 

Michael was the one to transition from scenting to full blown making-out on the couch. Michael kissed like a wildfire; his kisses were powerful, passionate, and long-lasting. Ryan could barely find the time to breathe between the constant barrage of kisses. Assuming the lad was comfortable, he took control of the kisses, hand reaching up to tilt the lad’s head back and kiss down his neck. His other hand rested on the lad’s hip, steadying him so they wouldn’t fall off the couch.

There was an instant shift in the mood. Michael grabbed the hand on his hip, lips growing further apart as the lad re positioned himself under the gent’s arm. He rested his head against the gent’s chest, turning his attention back to the movie. 

Ryan didn’t know how to react. Michael didn’t freak out (something he knew the lad was prone to doing) but he sure didn’t like Ryan being anywhere close to his hips. 

Why?

It wasn’t the first time either. He noticed it for the first time during Michael’s heat. He had no intentions of taking the lad, or even getting close for that matter. However, it seemed that every time his hands would linger lower than his stomach, the lad would tense up and pull away- even in the middle of a heat wave. Even just brushing his hip made the lad nervous, so he made an active effort to avoid the lower half of his body. Maybe it was just a weird quirk.

Sometimes it would happen when they were scenting too. Michael would drag him to the nearest coat closet and plaster his nose to Ryan’s wrists. The lad would take it further on occasion, moving up to his neck. Ryan would follow Michael’s lead, but whenever things got a bit too heated the lad would end it altogether.

Ryan was starting to get concerned. 

He wasn’t sure what the cause of it was. He knew why Ray was so put off by alphas, and at first he thought Michael may share his concerns. It was completely understandable to be afraid of alphas after such a traumatic event, and Ryan had no issues backing off until Michael was comfortable with moving forward.

The thing was, Michael /was/ moving forward. Michael was the one who suggested going through his heat at the alpha’s house, and Michael was the one to initiate their scenting sessions. Michael was distancing himself due to something else.

His mind rushed to the worst possible scenarios. Michael didn’t like him. They were moving too fast. He had some weird deformity he didn’t want the gent to see. 

Ryan swallowed down his fears, reaching up and brushing through the lad’s hair. He wasn’t going to make the lad open up if he didn’t want to. He was concerned, but it was still early in their relationship. He would do exactly as he had been doing; meeting Michael wherever they’re at.

A hopeful thought shook him from the vortex of negativity in his mind: Maybe he just wanted their first time being intimate to be more romantic. No one wanted their first time to be during a heat, and being intimate in the office or in the crappy apartment wouldn’t bode well either. Michael /could/ be waiting for the perfect moment to kick things up a notch.

If that was why his feisty little omega was holding back, he’d happily arrange something more fitting.


	17. Ray asks for Help

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quick TW for Implied/referenced rape/non-con. Never anything explicit.

“Geoff?”

Geoff ripped the phone away from his ear, covering his mouth to cover the growl that escaped him. When he answered the phone, he wasn’t expecting the lad to sound so timid, “Yeah? What’s wrong?” He asked, trying to regain his composure.

The lad seemed hesitant to answer him, “Do you think you could drive me somewhere?”

Little did the lad know, he was already throwing on his coat, phone held between his ear and his shoulder, “Of course. Where do you need to go?”

“My old apartment complex. My old landlord is, uh, giving me a hard time. He still won’t give me my security deposit back.”

He paused, trying to find the right key to lock his front door, “Haven’t you been out for like a year?”

He swore the lad lowered his voice even more, “Yeah. I’ve been e-mailing him, but he’s being difficult.”

He unlocked his car door, realizing that he didn't finish his game of peggle for the puerto rican lad, “I’ll go in with you too, if you want.” He was positive that the fiercely independent lad wouldn’t agree, but it was always good to offer.

“Could you?”

He paused, shocked that Ray agreed so easily, “Uh- No problem. I’ll be there in fifteen, okay?”

“Thanks.”  
\---

When the lad stepped into his car, Geoff was hit by a heavy wave of /fear/. He could smell it on him to the point where it was distracting, “You alright?” He didn’t want to let him know that he could tell he was upset, but it was clear that something was /very/ wrong.

Ray slumped into his seat, pulling on the strings of his hoodie and successfully avoiding eye contact with the alpha, “I’m fine.”

He knew better than to press it, “Alright...Do you mind telling me how to get there?” He pulled out of the uneven apartment parking lot and turned onto the main road.

“Yeah, just hang out on this road and it’ll be on the right in like, six minutes. It’s not far.” Geoff had no idea that Ray was still so close to his old apartment. This sprung up so many questions for him.

He tried not to overwhelm the lad, “Wow, I thought it was farther away. Why did you move?” It seemed like an innocent enough question.

There was a heavy pause before the omega answered, “I needed to move in with Michael. It wasn’t a matter of distance.” He successfully avoided eye contact with Geoff and proceeded to make himself even smaller in the seat.

Geoff wanted to calm the lad down from the unknown stressor but had no idea where to start, “Okay…” He drove down the busy highway, grumbling at the long red lights. He could see Ray’s foot tapping through his peripherals, and the stench of pure fear got stronger the closer he got to the lad’s old home, “So what’s this guy’s reasoning for not giving you your deposit back? I need to know before I go in there.” It seemed like a simple enough question.

“He says...he says I left the apartment with ripped furniture and a broken bathroom mirror and scent-stained couches. I didn’t. I left in a rush but I didn’t-” He crossed his arms and stared out the window, “Turn right at the next light. It’s easier to enter from the side.”

Geoff had so many questions. Why did he leave in a rush? Why was the landlord accusing Ray of things he didn’t do. He already /knew/ the omega wouldn’t do those things- the current apartment was messy but not in shambles. There had to be something he was missing, “Is this guy like a giant or something? You don’t seem to like him.”

Maybe he was hallucinating, but he could’ve sworn he saw Ray flinch, “We didn’t get along.”

Geoff pulled into the complex parking lot, parking right in front of what was labeled the landlord office. He was about to pull the key out of the ignition when he turned and finally got a solid look at the omega. Ray was even worse than before; he was pale and wide-eyed when faced with the old brick building, “What’s wrong?” 

Ray instantly denied everything, “Nothing, just give me a minute.” His voice was shaking.

The alpha wasn’t buying it. He could understand a bit of uneasiness when faced with a person you had a falling out with, but the omega looked far too shaken for it to be a bit of nerves. Something was seriously wrong, “Ray,” he couldn’t help the alpha growl in the back of his throat; the more time he spent with Ray, the worse his instincts got, “/What’s wrong?/”

“Nothing!” he insisted, hand reaching for the door handle, “Let’s just get this over with…”

Geoff saw his hand shaking and the uncertainty in his voice and snapped. He locked the doors, causing the omega to jump out of his skin, “You’re not okay. I’m going in, you can stay in the car.”

“But-”

“Stay in the car,” he growled, asserting a bit of dominance over the lad for once. He let Ray call the shots many times in the time he knew him, but this instance was different. There was a reason that the lad was scared shitless to go into that office, and he wasn’t allowing him to re-enter that situation again. Ray immediately nodded, and Geoff swore he saw a hint of relief on his face. He left the car on for him, stepping out and mentally preparing for the worst. He’d faced some asshole clients before; how bad could this be?

He opened the front door, instantly taking in his surroundings. The apartment looked about as ratty as the apartment Ray and Michael were living in now, but he was more focused on the smell upon entering. The landlord was an alpha, that’s for sure, “Hello?” He spoke up, waiting for a response.

After a moment, a bald head peeked out from the back room, “How may I help you?” he asked, only half invested in the conversation. He stepped into full view, hands full with official papers.

“I’m here to get my friend’s security deposit back.” Geoff could imagine the lad’s sarcastic scoff if he found out he called them friends.

“Oh? Who you grabbing it for? They couldn’t make it?” His tone was almost condescending, and he started to get a feel of why Ray didn’t like this guy Ray /hated/ being talked down to.

“Ray Narvaez Jr.. He had to work today so I told him I’d grab it.”

At the mention of Ray’s name, the landlord’s face changed completely. He sneered, “So Ray’s finally got an alpha to do his work for him eh? That’s a sight I thought I’d never see.”

He bristled. How fucking dare this guy speak ill of Ray, even if the lad wasn’t present, “I’m not his alpha, just a friend. Now can I have his deposit back so I can get along with my day?”

The landlord didn’t seem to believe him, “Sorry, but Ray and I have some unfinished business. He left his place a pigsty and I had to fix his mess. Maybe if he comes here himself we could talk things out.”

“He doesn’t have unfinished business with you and he doesn’t have the time to stop by. Do you even have proof that he left the apartment a mess?” He didn’t want Ray to ever have to come back into this office. This guy was an ass and Ray dealt with enough shit on a normal basis.

“Only what I saw with my own eyes.” He snickered, “Him and I used to be on a good basis, but we had a….’falling out’ after he presented. He left without warning and left a whole lot of shit behind.” 

Geoff narrowed his eyes, “What kind of a falling out?”

The landlord smiled, “Let’s just say I did him a favor that he didn’t appreciate.”

A favor.

What fucking kind of favor-?

The alpha’s blood ran cold as all the puzzle pieces clicked together. Ray was an omega who couldn’t tolerate alphas. This prick was an alpha who ‘did Ray a favor’ after he presented as an omega, and Ray ended up leaving in a rush.

The truth stung like a bitch. This scum had used Ray- ‘helped’ him without his consent. That’s why Ray was afraid of alphas. That’s why Ray couldn’t even stand the smell of alphas in his apartment. That’s why Ray was afraid to have an alpha- any alpha- around during his heat.

Geoff couldn’t take it anymore. The thought of this man coming anywhere close to his omega made him sick, “You don’t have any proof, so just give me his damn deposit and we’ll get out of your life for good.”

“There’s no need to get hostile!” The man played it off like it wasn’t a big deal, and it only infuriated him more, “It’s clear you think you have his best interests at heart. I used to do the same thing.”

Fuck no- he was done with this conversation and this asshole altogether. He let his authoritative nature take over, elongating his spine and towering over the piece of trash in front of him, “Don’t you ever say anything about him again,” he bared his teeth, anger radiating off him. He hated knowing. He hated thinking about anyone doing such a foul thing to Ray, “I have enough business pull in this city to get you and your shitty apartment complex closed down, so give me his /fucking/ money or I’ll make sure you lose /all/ your money.” There were benefits to being a manager in a corporate business; ruining the life of a landlord was not one of them, but he didn’t need to know that.

The prick narrowed his eyes, clearly weighing his options. After a long pause, he sighed, “Fucking fine then- I’m fucking sick of his pestering anyway.” He went to his desk to pull out a check, “Here- this is his deposit. It seems like such a fuss over one month’s rent though.” Geoff understood- in a household with two omegas working lower-wage jobs, every dollar counted.He wrote it out in silence as the alpha glared at him, still on edge from his prior realization. When the check was offered to him, he quickly snatched it up and began to leave without a goodbye.

“Hey-” the man called with a slight sneer on his face, “Let him know I said hello if you see him.”

Geoff wasn’t planning on it.

He stormed outside and slammed his car door, startling the omega in the passenger seat. He tossed the check over to him, hand reaching for the middle console and shifting into reverse, “There’s your rent,” he growled, fingers squeezing the wheel as he pulled away from the dump.

Ray looked genuinely shocked (and a lot less terrified), “How did you-?” he asked, staring at the check in disbelief. Geoff didn’t answer, and proceeded to roll down the windows to dilute the lad’s strong scent.

They were driving back in near silence. Ray was too shocked that Geoff managed to get his money back, and Geoff was trying to suppress the anger towards the asshole he was forced to deal with. He couldn’t think about what he thought the man did to his omega, or he would explode.

But still, he wanted to confirm that his assumptions were false. He wanted to be wrong. He could be jumping to conclusions. It was entirely possible that the ‘favor’ was something mundane and Ray moved due to some other freak occurrence.

But the expression the landlord made when he mentioned Ray’s name…

“What did he do to you?”

“Huh?”

“What did he do to you Ray?” he raised his voice, visibly upset. Ray recoiled, immediately beginning to look a little pale. After the lad didn’t answer, he lost his temper, “I saw his fucking face when I mentioned your name. He did /something/-”

“He didn’t do anything, I just needed to get away-”

“Ray!” He veered off the road, thankfully reaching the apartment before his driving became erratic, “Don’t lie to me. I know he did something and if he did what I think he did I swear to God-”

“It’s none of your business!” He defended, crossing his arms, “It’s over and I have my money and I don’t have to deal with him again.”

Geoff wished there was a stronger breeze going on at the moment, because his anger and the potent smell of Ray was tweaking his last nerve, “It is my business!” The second Ray asked him to drive him to the office, it became his business.

“And why the hell is that?”

“Because you’re my omega!”

Geoff regretted the words the instant they came out of his mouth. He instantly saw the anger on Ray’s face, “Excuse me? I’m /no one’s/ omega. Fuck you.” He opened the passenger door to leave.

He tried to get out of the deep hole he dug himself, “I didn’t- Ray I just meant because I’m the alpha you spend the most time with…” It was a blatant lie. Geoff realized after his first time guarding Ray during his lonely heat that he wanted more. He desperately wanted to claim the omega and make the lad stop hating alphas once and for all. He wanted to be the one alpha Ray could trust, but he fucked it up.

“Bullshit,” he growled, “I’m not your omega. I will never be anyone’s omega.” He slammed the door, storming inside the building without looking back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so apparently I'm better at hurt than I am at comfort. Comfort will come, I swear.


	18. Ray Talks About Things

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two notes:  
> 1\. Idk if y'all noticed, but I've been refraining from explicit scenes for this fic. I plan on having explicit scenes in a separate fic (do that people who don't want to read smut don't have to lol). If you've been waiting for this kind of content, it's on the way lol  
> 2\. When I started posting I had written 25 chapters in advance. We're getting close to the 25 chapter mark, but the story isn't over. We've got comfort and fluff that needs to be written :) 
> 
> That being said, here's some more feels:

“Can you believe it?” Ray paced around the room, still fuming from the altercation that occurred over an hour ago, “He had the fucking guts to refer to me as /his/ omega. I thought he got it through his thick skull that I didn’t want to belong to someone like a fucking item…”

Michael watched his friend rant, completely expressionless. Although he was shocked that Geoff was able to get Ray’s deposit /and/ that he referred to Ray as his omega, he shared different opinions about how Ray should’ve reacted. Unfortunately, there wasn’t an easy way to break it to him nicely, “I mean, you said he came out of the building angry. Those alpha instincts must’ve gotten to his head.”

“I thought that, of any alpha, he could actually keep his knot in his pants. I guess I was wrong.”

He had to say it. It was gonna be opening a can of worms, but he had to, “I mean, he’s still a good guy.” 

Ray growled, “A ‘good guy’ doesn’t refer to other people as property Michael.”

“I don’t think he meant it like that. You have to admit that he does things for you that an alpha would do for an omega.”

Ray scoffed, “Like what?”

Michael crossed his arms, “He watches after you in heat. He comes over to bring you food and literally will drop everything to come get you if you ask.”

The puerto rican thought about it a moment, “But those are all things you would do for me too, but I don’t see you trying to pee in a circle around me.”

“I’m just trying to get you to see a different side.” Oh God here it goes, “Would it really be a bad thing for you two to be together?”

He saw the defensive fire in Ray’s eyes, “He’s a knothead!”

“No he’s not! He’s never done anything to hurt you or put you in a compromising position. He’s never belittled you for being an omega. He got hit by a fucking car for you!”

“I never asked him to do that for me!” Ray huffed, clearly displeased with the thought of Geoff being anything but a ‘knothead’, “I don’t owe him anything.”

Ray could be so thick sometimes, “I’m not saying that you owe him anything. I’m saying that-” he sighed, “Geoff has proven himself to be a dependable guy more than once. Would you really turn him away because you’re afraid to be with an alpha?”

“I don’t need an alpha.”

“But wouldn’t it be nice?” He asserted, mentally preparing himself to be banished to the couch tonight, “I’m with Ryan now, and Ray I /really/ like him. I know he’d never do anything to hurt me and wants me because of my personality, not because I’m an omega.”

Ray remained unamused, “Have you told him about you-”

“No and I don't plan on it. Stop asking.” 

“He’s gonna figure it out sooner or later-”

“He won't-”

“They /always/ do-”

Michael glared at his friend, “Don’t change the fucking subject.” Michael redirected the conversation back to the lad, “I’ve been thinking about this for a while: What happens to you if I move in with him?” Ray immediately shut his mouth- he’d never considered the possibility before, “I know you’re afraid of alphas, and you have every right to be, but don’t shut Geoff out because you’re afraid. He’s proven more than once that he’ll put your safety and happiness before his own, and he’ll protect you. I don’t want you to spend the rest of your life alone.”

Ray stared at Michael, unable to form words. It was clear that he hadn’t thought about his own future or where he would go if Michael were to find a mate, “I’d never leave you on your own Ray- I’d let you stay with me, even if I were to move in with Ryan… but you have an alpha who will jump over the moon if you said so and I don’t want you to throw that away because you’re afraid of horny knotheads.”

“I…” Ray stammered, blindsided by these hypothetical scenarios.Michael walked forward and gave Ray a tight hug, assuring him that he just had his best interests at heart, “Geoff cares about you, and I know you care about him too. Please think about giving him a chance to prove himself.” He knew Ray liked Geoff. He would nest with the gent’s hoodie and ‘begrudgingly’ invite him over to teach him how to cook. Michael saw the excitement brew in the lad on days where Geoff was supposed to come over and noticed the way Ray’s eyes followed Geoff’s ass as the alpha left for the night. Ray was smitten, and Michael had no doubt the gent was just as entranced with his best friend. They just needed to talk it out.   
\---

“...Ray?” Geoff stared at the grumpy omega at his doorway. After what happened with the landlord a week ago, he assumed he wouldn’t hear from the lad ever again. Yet, for some reason, he was right here in front of him, “Are you okay?” I was one of many questions in his mind. Why was he at his house? Was he still pissed at him?

He noticed immediately that Ray looked tired. There were bags under his eyes, and Geoff still felt a protective tug in his stomach. He had to stop this; Ray didn’t want him to be his alpha and he needed to contain the urge to help.

Ray glared at him, “Can I come in?”

What the hell? “Of course,” he stepped aside, letting the omega through. How did he even know where he lived? There was a small chance Ryan could’ve told him, sure, but why go through all that trouble when he could call.

The lad immediately began investigating Geoff’s apartment. He literally sniffed around, examining his small gaming setup and DVDs, “Do you, uh, want anything? Tea? Water?”

Ray shook his head, sitting on Geoff’s giant couch. He watched the gent intently, and the alpha took the hint to sit down, “I’ve never seen your place before.”

He didn’t think Ray would ever want to see it. After all, it wasn’t much and it smelled purely of alpha. He had a pretty nice gaming setup and a nice kitchen, but overall the flat was small and usually a bit messy, “Do you like it?”

The omega shrugged. Why wasn’t he getting to the point? The lad wouldn’t just show up at two a.m. to scope out Geoff’s apartment.

Whatever it was, it was clearly bothering Ray too. Did something else happen with his landlord? Did Geoff do something else wrong?

Ray cleared his throat, looking down at his knees, “I talked to Michael.”

He wasn’t following the lad, “About what?”

“Everything. You. Landlord.”

Oh. Geoff wasn’t sure what to say in response. He just hummed in understanding, partially afraid the fight from a week ago would start back up again.

“Geoff…” The lad dug his fingers into his jeans, “I’m sorry.” Ray couldn’t look up at him; his eyes were shut tight and he looked so /omegan/ for once, “You helped me when I needed it and I shouldn’t have snapped at you. I was just afraid.”

Geoff wished Ray would look at him. So he could see that he’d already forgiven Ray long ago, “It’s okay. I was out of line.” He should’ve never called Ray his omega, “I was mad that you were hurt and my instincts kicked in. I’m sorry too.”

He thought the air would be clearer, but the room was still tense. Ray opened his eyes and sighed, eyes trained on the ground, “Will you forgive me?”

Geoff couldn’t help but smile, “Only if you’ll forgive me first.” He could never stay mad at Ray.

The omega nodded, and he thought things were finally settled, “Do you need me to drive you back or anything-”

“I’m not done,” Ray cut him off, and Geoff immediately shut his mouth, waiting for the lad to continue. How silly it would look to anyone else to see a pack alpha get bossed around by a little omega. Ray abandoned his knees in favor of cracking his knuckles, “We about talked you, and he made me think about things, like how good you’ve been with me. How you’ve been there for support and have gotten to know me.

“I thought a lot about it. You’ve let me take things at my pace and have held back your instincts for me, even in heat.” His face began to flush, and Geoff was suddenly very interested in where he was going with this, “And, you know, I like spending time with you /most/ of the time. You’re funny and you can cook. You like video games. You’re….attractive.”

Geoff thought his heart stopped. He leaned forward in his chair, desperate to catch Ray’s eye. The urge to cut in and tell Ray how much he admired him was strong. His adorable sass, his stubborn pride, and his natural omegan charm. The thoughts he’d buried deep in favor of keeping control rushed to the forefront of his mind, begging Ray to continue.

“I thought I would just be this angry, independent omega forever but Michael made me realize that I don’t want that. I don't like being alone. I don’t want to spend the rest of my life afraid. And I like that I can trust you, so….” He let out a shaky breath, “I want you to court me.”

Geoff was convinced he’d died and gone to heaven. Ray wanted him. After months and months of assuming they’d never be more than frenemies, Ray actually wanted him. He wanted Geoff to take on his role as an alpha. Courting would be no problem; he already loved to shower the lad with gifts and tell him how amazing he was. Now he would just be allowed past the barrier the omega built to protect him from the outside world. 

There was a long silence while Geoff processed the request, and Ray seemed to take the silence as a bad thing, “If you don’t want to, I understand-”

“Ray,” he cut the lad off, “Look at me.” Finally, Ray lifted his head and met his eyes with apprehension, “Are you sure this is what you want?”

After a brief moment, Ray nodded.

“Are you sure you want me? I mean, just because I hang out with you doesn’t mean you have to settle for me.” Ray could easily go for someone closer to his age if he wanted. He was attractive and witty, after all- a good catch.

To his delight, Ray nodded again. “Do you want me?” he asked, struggling to maintain eye contact.

Geoff smiled, “Definitely.” He leaned back, tension in his back disappearing, “I will absolutely court you Ray…..Will you be mad if I slip up again and call you my omega?”

He smirked, “Just don’t do it in public. I’ve got an angry, independent omega vibe going.” His expression softened, “I still don’t know if I want to be physical yet though.”

The alpha waved his concern off with one of Ray’s iconic ‘pssh’ noises, “We’ll get there when you’re ready.” He stood, offering Ray his arm to help him up, “Let’s take it slow.”

Ray smiled and took his hand. There was a brief awkward silence as the realization kicked in: Ray wanted them to be a thing. Geoff's feelings were reciprocated. The lad swatted his hand away, blushing, “Now drive me home asshole. Your house stinks.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The continuation of the Myan arc is next~


	19. Ryan Sets The Mood

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh hey, Myan is back. Also there's a time skip because I'm lazy and writing term papers. So congrats- the couple has been dating for about nine months at this chapter.

Ryan had big plans for their nine month anniversary.

He wouldn’t necessarily call himself a romantic, but he was under the assumption that Michael wanted their first time to be special. Not much had changed in the next few heats; Ryan would intentionally refrain from touching Michael’s hips and stomach during heats and Michael acted as normal as ever. They didn’t tell anyone else about their relationship; in such a close knit office, any relationships would be scrutinized under the eyes of other employees. Michael already got a lot of unwarranted attention; Ryan didn’t want to make it worse by letting him get bombarded by relationship questions.

They were good though. More than good, in Ryan’s opinion. He liked Michael so much, and dating the lad was a pleasure. 

Logically, the next step was sex.

He had convinced Michael to come over for a game night, and that was exactly what he was going to do. The lad and him turned his living room into a gamer’s dream; they had baskets of snacks and a pile of games they wanted to battle in. Michael looked relaxed.

Perfect.

“Hey, uh-” He put down his controller and pushed himself to his feet, “I’ve got something to show you…”

Michael raised an eyebrow at him, but didn’t question it. He held out his arm and Ryan pulled him to his feet, keeping the omega’s arm hostage as he kissed his forehead and led him up the stairs.

Thee lad started to get suspicious, “You’re not leading me to some weird trap to kidnap me right? I’ve seen what you do to animals in Minecraft…”

Ryan chuckled, reaching his bedroom door, “No, I think you’ll like this better…” Giving the lad’s hand a small squeeze, he opened the bedroom door.

The alpha was a master at setting the mood.

His bedroom was dimly lit. Fake candles sat on the nightstands and bureau and he’d scattered rose petals across the bed. He’d gone out and bought higher-quality bedsheets in an effort to impress Michael- He hadn’t tested them out yet, so hopefully the sheets were as smooth as the long receipt he bought them with. 

It was an elaborate set-up, and it was all for his wonderful Michael. 

The lad gawked at his decorating expertise for a minute, absolutely speechless, “Did you do this?”

Ryan nodded, unable to hide his shit-eating grin, “Do you like it?”

The lad nodded, a mixture of affection and confusion on his face.

Ryan tried to quiet the nerves in his stomach before clueing his boyfriend in, “Today’s our nine-month anniversary, so I wanted to make things special. I was hoping you’d want to spend the night….” 

Michael stared at him a minute, not quite connecting the dots. In a surge of affection, Ryan closed the distance between them with a soft kiss. He wanted to take things to the next level with Michael; he liked, maybe even /loved/ the omega, and wanted to convey it with more than just words.

Michael kissed back with his usual enthusiasm, making Ryan’s hair stand on end. Finally, they were doing this. He backed the two of them up towards the bed, sitting down on the edge and bringing Michael’s face down with him. He bit the lad’s bottom lip gently, hands testing the water by resting on his hips.

Michael’s hands flew down to his hips and immediately removed Ryan’s hands by intertwining them with his own. All the while, the lad never stopped kissing him.

He needed to know what was going on, “Michael, what’s wrong?” He pulled back, looking up at the omega with concern. His mind started filling up with those dastardly thoughts: Michael didn’t like him, it repeated.

Michael swung their interlocked hands, skillfully avoiding his gaze, “Nothing’s wrong.”

If nothing was wrong, the lad would be able to look him in the eye and say it, “You won’t let me touch your hips. You’ve never let me touch your hips. Every time I try, you pull away.” Every. Single. Time.

Michael looked flustered, but was stubborn as ever, “Maybe I just don’t like my hips to be touched.”

Ryan bit his lower lip, unable to keep his darkest fears from surfacing, “...Is it me?”

“What?” 

“Is it because you don’t like me?” What other reason was there?

“Ryan- no-”

“Then what is it?” He snapped, letting go of the lad’s hands so he wouldn’t squeeze them too hard, “Because I’ve been trying to figure it out and all signs point to you not liking me as much as I like you.” He gestured to the bed, “I thought maybe you were holding back because you wanted our first time to be special-”

Realization dawned on the omega, and his face turned red, “/Oh/…”

Ryan needed answers, “Is it me?” he repeated.

Michael crossed his arms in front of his chest, “It’s not fucking you, okay? So can we just...not?”

“/Why/ not?” Ryan persisted, still not convinced that the lad was turned off by him, “Michael, I just want to understand-”

“I don’t want to talk about it!” Michael snapped, taking a few steps back. Ryan recoiled as if he’d been stabbed; the lad hadn’t acted this /defensive/ in a long time.

“This has been happening for /months/ Michael! We can’t just beat around the bush….” He thought of the next possible culprit, “Do you not want to fuck because of status? Because you don’t want to conform to society’s-”

“Shut the fuck up Ryan!”

Ryan’s blood ran cold. Michael wasn’t just mad. He was upset. Hurt. 

He hurt his omega somehow, and he felt like shit about it, “...I’m sorry-”

Michael turned on his heels, “I’m going back to my apartment. Don’t follow me.”

Ryan didn’t follow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thoughts? Comments? Ideas?


	20. Michael Comes Clean (Pt.1)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have been waiting for these two chapters for a long time.

[VOICEMAIL] ‘Michael, please pick up. I’m sorry. I don’t know what I did, but I’m sorry and I just want to make it better. I want to /understand/ so I can make it better. Please forgive me.’

[VOICEMAIL] ‘Michael, I know you don’t want to talk about it. I’m sorry I brought it up, just, /please/ call me back.’

[VOICEMAIL] ‘Michael...babe… It’s been a week. I’m worried. If you never want to bring it up again, okay. We can pretend that whole night never happened…. I just want to talk. Please call me or send a letter in the mail or something- whatever you want.  
...  
I miss you.’

\---  
Ryan had to resort to more direct measures after two weeks of radio silence from the lad. He begged Geoff to give him Ray’s number so he could talk to the omega’s roommate, and after accumulating a multitude of expense reports to analyze as collateral, the gent gave him his boyfriend’s number. He messaged the roommate, asking if he could come over and, to his surprise, the lad allowed it.

When he got there, he explained his side of the situation (he’d assumed the lad already heard his friend’s side) and asked for genuine advice. He wanted to win Michael back, no matter what, and Ray would know what to do.

The lad simply shrugged, “Just stick around until he gets home I guess. It’s not like he can just hide from you forever.”

Ryan was shocked the lad would let him bring his ‘gross relationship drama’ to the apartment, “I mean, if you’re okay with it….” It would be the most direct way to talk to Michael again. It would give him a chance to apologize and make amends- if Michael didn’t dump him on the sport, “...You’re being awfully chill about all of this.”

Ray raised an eyebrow, “Meaning?”

Oh fuck, backpedal, “Nothing! I mean, generally, I assumed you would just flip me off, call me a horny knothead, and force me to figure it out on my own- You know-” 

Ray chuckled, “I get it.” He stood, cracking his neck, “It’s simple karma Ryan. Michael makes me confront Geoff, so I make him confront you.” He walked to the kitchen, washing his hands and pre-heating the oven. Ryan smiled; the lad had really taken to cooking with Geoff’s lessons. “Besides…” His expression softened, “You’re not a bad guy. Michael likes you, and he’s been happy. I warned him this conversation would happen eventually.”

Ryan swallowed hard. Ray knew exactly what this was about. He knew this was coming-

-Whatever /this/ was, it was important.

Part of him wanted to ask Ray, but he held his tongue. He needed to hear it from Michael. Michael wouldn’t hide something for no damn reason, so Ryan wouldn’t fish for that reason elsewhere.

Ryan turned on the TV and waited.  
\--

Michael arrived 45 minutes later than normal because he’d been taking public transportation instead of hitching a ride with Ryan. Ryan hadn’t taken this into account when he was waiting. By the time the lad walked through the door, Ray was nearly done cooking dinner and Ryan was getting ready to ask for a piece of quiche- /quiche/? When the hell had Ray become a master chef? Damn it looked good.

Michael didn’t notice Ryan right away. He hung up his coat on their lopsided coat rack and yawned, “Ray I want a piece of whatever that is, I’m famished-” He finally stepped into the living area, making direct eye contact with Ryan on the couch.

Michael looked sick at the sight of him, and the gent’s heart broke.

Ray sensed the change of mood, “Michael don’t you dare fucking run for it.” He pointed at the lad with a spatula; it was strangely intimidating, “You two are going to sit down and talk.”

Michael gawked at Ray, clearly upset with his friend’s betrayal, “-Ray!”

The omega shrugged, “Payback’s a bitch Michael. Sit.” He stared Michael down until he obeyed. Ryan almost laughed at how /alpha/ Ray was with the lad. It wasn’t the first time Michael followed Ray’s orders in front of him, and it was sort of cute how the two served as each other’s supports when they needed it.

Ray turned off the oven and left the kitchen altogether, “Talk,” he commanded. He shifted his gaze to Michael, “I’ll be in the bedroom if you need me.” Despite Michael’s obvious disapproval of the situation, he looked comforted by the reassurance.

Ray closed the bedroom door, and an awkward silence filled the room. He hadn’t seen Michael in over two weeks. The lad avoided him at work and screened his calls.

He wasn’t mad, just regretful.

Michael sat with his legs crossed, eyes transfixed on the coffee table. After a near minute of silence, Ryan decided he would start, “I’m sorry.”

No response.

“I’m sorry I tried to make you talk about something that you clearly didn’t want to talk about. I was just confused.”

No response.

“I just couldn’t understand why you kept pulling back. I thought things were going well.”

No response. Michael was paler than normal, and Ryan was legitimately worried that the lad was going to throw up. He had to keep pushing though- he wasn’t sure what else to do at this point. If he left, Michael would go back to ignoring him.

He sighed, “Do you forgive me?”

No response. Ryan’s heart ached.

“Do you want to break up?”

Michael’s head shot up, eyes instantly threatening to overflow with tears. The panic in his response told Ryan that his answer was no, and he couldn’t help but feel relieved. Michael still wanted him, despite whatever was holding him back.

This meant, however that the hesitance to progress physically came from something else, “I know you don’t want me to push you but I need to understand what’s going on if we’re going to move past this.”

Michael rubbed his eyes with his palms, elbows resting on his knees. Ryan noticed he was shaking, and his stomach sunk. He didn’t like seeing Michael like this. Michael took a shallow breath before responding, “We can’t move forward.”

We… “What?” He asked, unsure what the lad meant.

“I can’t move forward.” His hands migrated up to his hair, running through the curly waves as a mode of relief.

“You can’t move forward….physically?” Ryan tried to narrow it down. Michael nodded, and the gent asked the next logical question, “Why?” Did Michael have some surgery or scar that he didn’t want the gent to know about? Was he bound by religion? There were so many barriers that could be holding his boyfriend back.

No response.

Ryan was an asshole for prying and he knew it, “Michael-”

“I don’t want to.”

The obvious silence followed. It wasn’t that Michael literally couldn’t have sex, it was that he didn’t want to. It wasn’t anatomy or religion- it was Michael himself. Instead of asking why, Ryan tried to narrow it down for him, “Is it because of something I did?”

The omega shook his head.

Okay, so at least it wasn’t because of him, “Is it because of Ray, or anyone else? Is it because of stereoty-”

“I just don’t fucking want to!” Michael balled his fists into his eyes, anger suddenly overtaking him, “That’s it! I. Don’t. Want. To. I haven’t had ‘the experience’ ruined for me by some asshole and I don’t give a shit if it fucks with my heat or makes me smell weird.” He stood up, pacing behind the couch across from him.

Ryan was struggling to follow the lad’s reasoning, “So you don’t….want to….”

Michael glared at him, eyes betraying how upset he was by the conversation, “I don’t want to have sex.”

“....Ever?”

Michael’s fingers dug into the cloth couch, “I don’t want it. I’ve never fucking wanted it. I will /never/ fucking want it.”

The words left Ryan’s lips faster than he could stop them, “Why?”

“I’m asexual.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :)
> 
> Pt.2 will be up soon. Thoughts? Questions? I genuinely want to know what y'all think of this chapter.


	21. Michael Comes Clean (pt.2)

The silence that followed was deafening.

Asexual. Not sexually attracted to others. Ryan hadn’t even considered the possibility. Being an omega, he was flooded with hormones all the damn time. The lad got horny during heats. He liked to scent until he was scent-drunk and loved making out just as much.

None of that had to do with being asexual though, he realized. Being asexual just meant that he wasn’t sexually attracted to others. 

Ryan didn’t know enough about asexuality to understand, but he knew that some folks who were asexual still had sex. Some people even /liked/ sex, “You’re asexual, and you don’t want to have sex…?” The way Michael avoided his advances made him think he was right to assume the lad didn’t like it. Someone who liked sex, or even indifferent to sex for that matter, would not pull away as seamlessly as the lad did.

Michael nodded, confirming his assumptions. 

Considering the convoluted scenarios he’d pictured as the reason Michael kept holding back, this was quite a simple explanation. And yet, Ryan was still struggling to wrap his head around it.

Ryan could only think of one more question, "...Why wouldn't you tell me?"

The omega's anger increased tenfold, "You really can't think of a reason? Nothing at all? A reason why I wouldn't tell you that I'm a fucked up anomaly who literally defies everything my status is?" He laughed, but it was harsh and shaky, "An omega who doesn't like sex Ryan. What the fuck is an omega who doesn't like sex? That's all we're good for. Our 'life's purpose' is to please alphas. We need to be good little mates for them. Sexy and submissive through and through." He went back to pacing behind the couch. Then, he sat back down with a defeated sigh, "Do you know what it's like for me? To not want sex in a world that's dominated by it? It's a nightmare."

Ryan wasn't sure what to say, but Michael didn't even give him a chance to respond. Now that the lad's secret was in the open, everything he'd been holding in came flooding out, "I told you I've tried relationships before, and that they've never worked. /I/ was the reason it never worked. They always wanted to move forward. They'd want to have sex and I'd stop them and at first they'd think it was cute but then they'd get angry. They'd push it. A few tried to force it."

His throat was dry as everything clicked into place. This was what deterred Michael from traditional omega values in the first place. This was why he was so fed up with society, "I'm sorry-"

Michael growled, "Oh like you wouldn't have done the exact same thing /alpha/. You tried to push it too."

He did, Ryan realized. When Michael seemed so hesitant, he tried to construct an elaborate night that would sweep the lad off his feet. He was just as bad as the rest of the knotheads Michael was with before.

Michael scoffed, wiping his eyes on his sleeve, "I bet you haven't even realized what this means for us yet."

Ryan tuned back into the conversation, "What do you mean?"

Michael closed himself off, crossing his arms and making himself small on the couch, "/Think/ Ryan. I don't want to have sex. Ever. Think about the implications.”

Think about the implications-

Oh.

Oh...

If Michael never wanted to have sex, he'd never be knotted or claimed. They could never make things 'official'. There wouldn't be any easy heats or ruts for the couple. 

He looked up at Michael to see his eyes has once again filled up with tears, "That's why I couldn't tell you." 

This was a whirlwind of information that the alpha wasn't sure how to process. Truthfully, it made their relationship a whole lot more complicated. He'd never been in a relationship with someone who was asexual. He still wanted sex, and on a long term basis it could lead to serious complications. Alphas in general were more likely to go into ruts in long periods of abstinence, especially if their mate has a bad heat. Michael, without his suppressants, would /always/ have a bad heat. It wouldn't be easy, not to mention he could never claim Michael the way his society expected him to. The lad would be stuck with his elevated hormones and room-clearing scent forever because Ryan couldn't change it.

Michael must've known what inner turmoil was happening in the silence because he choked out a sob.

The noise snapped Ryan out of it, and he felt utterly disgusted with himself. Why the fuck was one tiny, insignificant thing like sex driving a wedge between them? Was he really that much of a knothead that he would let something as trivial as sex become a deal breaker? He hadn't knotted or claimed Michael yet and he still liked the lad so damn much. 

He didn't need to have sex... right?

"Michael," he stood up and joined the lad on the adjacent couch. Without another word, he hugged his omega tight.

He was absolute garbage, making Michael doubt his affection for even a second, "I didn't agree to a relationship with you because I wanted to have sex with you. I liked- I like you for /you/." Michael was still shaking, and he kissed the omega's forehead, "That hasn't changed. That /won't/ change."

Michael gripped his shirt, pushing back and yet afraid to let go, "I can never give you want you want. I'm what any sane alpha would call ‘a defective omega.’"

Ryan shut him up with a kiss, "Don't lie to yourself," he teased, "You’re not a defective omega. What you /are/ is an amazing boyfriend." Michael wasn’t defective, not by any stretch of the word. He was rare for certain, but absolutely valid.

Michael stared at him, visibly shocked with Ryan's reaction, "I don't think you get it."

Oh he understood perfectly well, "I know it won't be easy for either of us, but we could make it work." Ryan would have to figure out a way around sex and and Michael would have to go back on suppressants or let Ryan claim him and alter his scent for the lad's safety. Ryan was set in his decision though; he wanted Michael in his life. Although he wanted to have sex, he could actively push the desire aside, for him.  
He smiled at the lad, wiping a tear from his cheek, "Do you want to make this work?"

Michael swallowed hard, eyes puffy and red. He nodded. 

Ryan kissed his forehead, "I'm sorry for trying to force you before. I'm glad i understand now- I won't ever do that again."

Michael seemed calmer. His sobs no longer wracked his body like a shock wave and he managed a small smile, "I'm sorry I couldn't tell you-"

Ryan chuckled, "I understand why you didn't. I would be scared too." Michael had to endure living every day with people considering him a sex object. Most of his prior relationships ended because of his sexuality. He had every reason to be scared to tell his boyfriend. Judging by the way Michael was shaking during their talk, Ryan had a sinking feeling he’d had this talk before, and by his tears, those confrontations did not end well.

A new question popped into his head, "What do you do about heats?" Omegas bodies demanded a knot in the thick of heat. How did asexuality impact his experience?

Michael shuddered, "It fucking sucks but I'm glad that I'm not, you know, coherent enough to remember it…. Ray never fucks me, if that's what you're wondering. He knows that I don't want to. The thought of someone being inside me, even when I'm completely gone like that..." The lad shuddered, "He's sort of an exception to other things though, out of necessity...." He sent Ryan a bashful look, "Do I really have to talk about it? I fucking hate having heats. I know I beg to be knotted, but the sober, sane me never wants it."

The dirty part of Ryan really wanted to know so he knew how to handle the lad's heats in the future, but he knew the lad already opened up a lot today, "Of course not." He kissed Michael again, happy to have his boyfriend back, "I'm so glad you told me. I missed you."

The lad jokingly rolled his eyes with a grin, "Shut up....I missed you too."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh friends, I have been WAITING for this. I don't even care that this notes section is gonna be obnoxiously long, I feel like y'all deserve to know how the fic got to this point.
> 
> Ace Omega Michael was the first idea I had when I started writing this fic. It was the reason I started writing this fic in the first place. I wanted to see how an asexual omega would fare in the A/B/O verse (and I definitely wasn't projecting onto Michael hahahah-). What I had already planned for Ray's backstory made them a perfect fit, and I wrote 70 pages in about two weeks to get to this scene.
> 
> Fun fact: I actually took this arc out for a while, despite it being near and dear to my heart. I acknowledged that when most people read A/B/O fics, they want to see heats and Sexy Times (tm). I played around with pulling the arc out for a while, but eventually I just said 'screw what the audience wants, I'm keeping it'. I wanted this fic to focus less on explicit sex scenes (but I do have those, I'll just upload them on the side so people don't have to read them if they don't want) and more on the A/B/O society. Specifically: what happens when someone doesn't follow the norms in A/B/O society. How does the world treat omegas who don't take their suppressants? Who don't like sex? Who don't necessarily want an alpha and remain unclaimed? 
> 
> I'm really glad I kept this arc in the story, and I really hope y'all like the story too. I actually am writing a separate fic for this AU- a prequel. It shows how EVERYONE got to where they were before the events of Angry Omegas. It's pretty Michael-centric (most things I write are) but I think it allows me to go more into detail with how this society functions without compromising or detracting from the current plot. 
> 
> Let me know if this is something you're interested in reading, and PLEASE let me know what you think of these two chapters!! 
> 
> //P.S. Writing this scene from Ryan's POV was much harder than I thought it would be, my goodness.


	22. Ray Tries to be Sneaky

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much fro your support!!!! Ace Omega Michael is literally my pride and joy. I'm so happy that other people are enjoying where the story is headed, and I have so much more for both Ray and Michael (and maybe some gents too) to share :) My plan is is to break the AU down into 3 parts. This is the get together fic, have a separate fic for the prequel, and a 3rd will be for how their relationships progress over time. Also a few one shots for more explicit scenes (because they exist. They're coming). 
> 
> I have to tone down the writing briefly to finish 35 pages of grad school assignments, so bear with me. I still have enough written to keep y'all satiated with feels, but I'm gonna be a grumpy goose over here.
> 
> Anyways here's some Geoff/Ray fluff. Tiny TW for a character being triggered and having a small panic.

Courting Ray was like a dream.

Geoff haad sealed away all his secret feelings towards the lad the first day they met, and now he was able to indulge. He was always over the top, bringing gifts and food- so much food- to the lad as an excuse to spend time with him.

To his surprise, the lad seemed to be okay with it. He still rolled his eyes as he let the gent bring in groceries and flowers, but he seemed a lot better with Geoff’s presence now. They still weren’t physical, and the gent had no problem with that, but he was at least hoping the lad felt the same affection that he did.

Ray liked to text him about his day and send him stupid memes he found online. It was how the lad seemingly expressed himself, and Geoff realized that he found it absolutely endearing. They debated movies, video games, and Ray even invited him over of his own free will a few times.

This was one of those times. Together, they sat on Ray’s couch watching a horrible horror rendition of the nutcracker. The movie had been Geoff’s choice, but Ray was having just as much fun mocking is as he was. Geoff sat with one arm wrapped around the couch behind the lad, and Ray happily rested his feet on the coffee table. It was wonderful to see the lad so relaxed around him.

However, Ray seemed to fidget. A lot. He kept turning around as if he was cracking his back, but he definitely didn’t need to once every minute or so. Geoff wanted to comment on it, but figured his back might be sore from working all day.

He continued to enjoy the movie until the lad twisted and Geoff felt his breath on his wrist. It was deliberate, and Geoff bit back a laugh as he realized what was going on. Just to make sure it wasn’t a fluke, he waited until the lad twisted a few more times and took note of the intentional turn towards his wrist.

With a devious smirk, he spoke up, “Ray, are you trying to scent with me?”

Ray instantly whipped his head back around in a panic.”No?”

Adorable. “All you have to do it ask,” he teased, moving his arm from the couch to in front of the lad. Ray didn’t seem to know what to do, but he knew for a fact that Michael and him scent on a daily basis so he definitely knew /how/ to scent.

Ray stared down at the tattooed wrist, “What if I think you smell like trash?” It came out as a joke, but Geoff sensed an undertone of concern.

It was still absolutely ridiculous though, “You know what I smell like already; you have one of my hoodies still.” Ray’s eyes went wide, and Geoff broke out into laughter, “I saw you nesting with it once.” He twisted his outstretched wrist, letting the joint make an audible pop, “I won’t be offended if you need to stop or anything. I’ve been told my scent is /intoxicating/.” Heh, because he smells like whiskey. It was a pun.

Ray took a deep breath, “Can I-”

“Yes.” Finally.

Ray slowly buried his nose into Geoff’s arm, instincts kicking in. His nose migrated up and down, looking for a scent gland. Ray’s nose flared as he adjusted to Geoff’s scent before brushing his lips against him.

The change was not instantaneous. Many omegas are able to calm down and be grounded within a minute; this omega was much more reserved, and it took him a lot longer to let the comforting presence affect him. Once again Geoff was astounded by the lad’s control, but wished that the circumstances that granted him such control were not the case.

After a few minutes of gentle lip presses and occasional cheek rubbing, Geoff got up the nerve to ask for more, “...Can I scent with you too?”

Ray instantly raised an arm in front of the gent’s nose, still preoccupied with his wrist. Part of him expected more of a fight, but he didn’t want to interrupt the lad. With the same amount of caution Ray used, Geoff slowly immersed himself in Ray’s scent.

Cinnamon buns. Warm, sweet tones with a hint of spice. Ray’s scent was so delectable and so potent that he couldn’t even discern a scent gland from the rest of his arm. The scent rolled through his body like syrup, spreading warmth to his fingers and making the rest of the world fade away.

He only pulled back when his vision began to get fuzzy. Although he was a pro at keeping himself under control, it was still possible to get scent drunk if he wasn’t careful. He took a moment to readjust to reality; the movie was still going on but he had no idea what was happening. Ray was still attached to his arm, but was making a small content noise he’d never heard before, “Ray?”

The lad didn’t respond, so Geoff reached out and tapped him on the shoulder. Ray’s head instantly rolled back, eyes completely glazed over. Holy dicks the lad was scent drunk, “Had a bit too much there, huh buddy.” He smiled, and Ray let out a cute little smile in response. He was so cute, and Geoff loved seeing him with his walls down. He pulled his hand away and Ray whined, making the gent laugh more, “I know, but you can scent with me whenever you want. You don’t have to try to drink it in all at once.” He smiled at his words, inferring that the lad could have access to his scent whenever he wanted it. He didn't even have to ask- Geoff didn't care. In the lad’s defense, the only other person he scented with was Michael, and the lad had a much tamer scent. Normally it would take a lot more than scenting at the wrist to make someone scent-drunk, but this was pretty much new territory for the reserved omega.

Geoff focused back on the movie, not even flinching when Ray leaned against his arm. He let the lad stay there for the rest of the movie, heart swelled with happiness.

Finally, the movie ended, and the poor lad was still out of it, “You’re gonna hate me in the morning,” he teased, getting up and reaching for the lad. The omega didn’t even seem to care about getting up, rubbing his cheek against a throw pillow. Geoff couldn’t just leave him there- he’d probably roll off the couch and hit his head against the coffee table. With a sigh, he reached forward and looped his hand behind his knees and shoulders, picking him up with a grunt. Ray was dead weight- at least the lad would sleep well tonight.

He had just opened the bedroom door when something in Ray clicked. There was no warning, no slow transition. He was walking the lad to the bed and something snapped, “No,” the lad screeched, legs trying to kick and break free, “No no please-”

The gent put the lad down immediately, trying not to drop him on his ass. The second Ray’s feet touched the ground he /pushed/, sending Geoff a few feet back.

Ray stared at him, eyes wide and scared. He was struggling to breathe, arms crossed in front of his chest for protection. 

Geoff wasn’t sure what to do. He wasn’t exactly sure what the trigger was, but his omega was scared and he was somehow the cause, “I was just dropping you off Ray,” he explained, “You were a little scent drunk and I didn’t want to leave you on the couch.” He took a small step forward and Ray flinched, “I wasn’t trying to do anything.”

He couldn’t tell if Ray understood, or if he was even in the right mental state. The lad continued backing away until he found his bed. He tried to compose himself, and finally nodded, acknowledging Geoff’s words. He /knew/ Geoff would never try anything funny, but his trauma was just as strong, “Please go?” he asked timidly.

As much as Geoff didn’t want to, he nodded, “Okay. Text me if you need me Ray.” His heart broke as he closed the door behind him and heard a shaky sigh from the other side.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Step 1: Create happy fluff scene  
> Step 2: Crush it with pain
> 
> More Myan and Geoffray on the way. Fluff and comfort on the horizon....maybe :)


	23. Ray Panics

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW for more explicit panic attack

Geoff was starting to dread when Ray called him. Texts were fine, but phone calls made him nervous. Something had to be an immediate, urgent problem to warrant a phone call from the lad. 

He had just settled down with a slice of pizza and a old movie- a classy way to end the work week if you asked him- when his phone rang, “Ray? What’s up?”

There was a heavy pause on the other end, and the hair on the back of Geoff’s neck stood up, “Ray,” he repeated again, voice lower, “Is something wrong?”

Another pause. Finally, just as he was ready to rush over to the lad's apartment and break down the door, he heard a sharp breath on the other line, “Geoff, I-” The lad sounded like he was struggling to breathe, “I don't know why I called-”

His worry was steadily increasing, “Are you hurt? Talk to me.”

Another pregnant moment passed between them before a startling noise came from the other end. It was a choked sob, and it immediately sent Geoff’s protective nature into overdrive. He didn’t know what was the matter, but he didn’t need to just yet, “I’ll be right there Ray, I promise.” He hung up and began frantically looking for his shoes while simultaneously dialing Michael’s number. 

“I have to talk on the phone all fucking week Geoff, so this better be important or I’m hanging up.”

Thankfully it was important, “Ray just called me. I don’t know what was wrong, but he sounded like he was crying. He might be in pain or something.”

He heard brief, distant mumbling, most likely to Ryan on the other end, “I know what’s wrong. Don’t enter the apartment when you get there Geoff. I’ll be right there.”

“What?” He immediately protested, “What the hell is wrong with him? Why can’t I go in?” He finally pulled on a pair of slip on shoes and threw on his nearest hoodie, leaving the house and entering into the cold pre-Winter night.

“Just don’t.” He could hear scrambling on the other side, “Just trust me, okay? You might make it worse.”  
\---

Geoff arrived before Michael and paced anxiously outside of the apartment door. He wanted to storm in there so badly, but there had to be a reason why Michael didn’t think he should enter. He scoffed; it wasn’t just that Michael didn’t want him in the room, he thought the gent would make it /worse/ for the lad. There was no way in hell he’d ever actively do something to hurt his omega-

No. Ray. Still not his omega. Not officially.

He could even fucking smell the distress in the air. The lad was eliminating waves of pure omegan distress. If he didn’t have the lad’s heat schedule memorized, he would’ve thought he was going into the first stage of heat. 

He heard scuffling up the stairs, and Michael came rushing into the hallway, “I’ll leave the door open so you can see, but stay outside.” He panted, fumbling with the key in the deadbolt.

“Why can’t I go in?” He demanded again, wanting to soothe Ray just as much as Michael did.

Michael cursed when he tried to open the door and found that the regular handle was locked too, “You can’t. It’s the alpha smell.” He made quick work of fumbling for his keys and unlocking the door completely.

“But why-”

Michael downright growled at the gent. It was a very aggressive moment that reminded him of the times Ray would snap at him for getting close to Michael, “He’s having a /panic attack/.” 

Oh.

Without another word, the lad opened the door, immediately spotting his best friend on the living room floor, curled into a ball. Geoff’s heart ached at the sight. The lad was seemingly convulsing, and it took a minute to register that it was sobbing instead of pained whimpers he was hearing. Michael took a few quiet steps forward before kneeling down in front of the omega, “Hey Ray.”

Ray looked up, eyes red and tear-stained cheeks catching the light. He was still short of breath, but managed out a small whine of distress.

Michael didn’t seem phased, “Geoff called me and told me he thought you were hurt….panic attack?”

Ray nodded, another wave of tears overwhelming the lad.

Michael reached out at ran a hand through Ray’s hair, the other hand coming to rest on the lad’s shoulder, “It’s okay….. What brought this on?”

Ray sniveled, speaking broken by his own shaky windpipe, “Too… many alphas…work...boss...” 

“Was your boss a dick again?” Ray nodded, and Michael sighed, “It’s okay Ray. You’re here now. No one can hurt you in here.” 

Geoff was torn. He so badly wanted to go in there and comfort his lad, but the problem was the extensive exposure to asshole alphas. It had to be hard for Ray to go to work a fuckton of hours with an alpha boss, especially because he hated being told what to do. 

Michael’s strategy to quiet the painful sobs was to keep him talking through it, “Was it just your boss?”

Ray wiped his face on the collar of his shirt, hands visibly shaking from the doorway, “Alpha room…-mates downstairs. They...they said- you know- they- they...”

He sensed a mood shift from the fiery omega instantly, “Their words don’t mean shit Ray. They will never get you so long as I’m here.”

Ray didn’t seem convinced. He reached for Michael’s hand, fingers digging into the lad’s skin, “I’m so af-...-fraid of them….Can’t walk hall….alone…” 

Michael let Ray cry for a moment, contemplating his words carefully, “I could ask Ryan if we could move in and pay him rent. Or there’s Geoff-”

Ray’s sobs got worse, and Geoff’s stomach churned. Was he part of this? Had he done something wrong? He had never seen the lad so utterly vulnerable before, and it scared him.

“I can’t….Geoff…” Ray managed, clearly struggling to breathe properly.

“You don’t want to move in with Geoff?” Michael knew the gent was listening in- the least he could do was find out why Ray seemed so against it.

“Can’t...be his... omega…” 

Both Michael and Geoff were stunned. Geoff thought he was doing everything right. He gave the lad the space he needed and hadn’t even kissed the lad for fuck’s sake. Was it that Ray just wasn’t attracted to him? His heart felt utterly shattered.

Michael dared to press it, “Why not? I thought you liked him.”

“I do!” Ray snapped bending over and resting his head against his folded knees, “I’m trying….so /hard/…. He’s so….good….to me. I want….be his…..”

Michael stared at the lad in shock, not quite following the lad at this point, “You /want/ to be his omega?” Ray never wanted to be /anyone’s/ omega.

After a brief pause, Ray nodded, “I feel sa-...-fe and good….like I can relax….” The lad struggled to keep going, and Michael offered him a tissue from the wad in his pocket. The lad blew his nose, briefly ceasing the hyperventilating, “I could be such a good omega for him but my body won’t let me-” He broke off, cries hitting a new, higher pitch. Michael continued to softly run his hand through his hair, whispering to him ‘it’s okay’ and ‘cry as much as you need’. Geoff gripped the doorknob tightly to avoid going in.

Ray continued, “I let...my guard… down and….it hurts….I….think about….past heat….landlord-” He cried, more waves of distress coming from the panicked lad. The alpha understood what Ray was talking about; the lad kept trying to be vulnerable in front of him- he could /see/ the attempts. However, every time Ray would try to relax- take a nap, get scent drunk, go into heat- he would fall into a panic. Just like what probably happened to him before; Ray was weakened by heat and mentally compromised when he was hurt. The same level of weakness made him think he was going to get hurt again.

Geoff's heart ached, knowing how hard Ray was apparently trying to let Geoff in. How hard the omega was working towards normalcy and forcing himself to adjust to alpha scents and vulnerability. His panic attacks weren't from Geoff fucking up, they were from being vulnerable in front of an alpha. He was so strong, stronger than the alpha could ever imagine, for trying this hard.

Michael moved his hand down to Ray’s shoulder, running his hand up and down for comfort, “You will never see him ever again Ray. You’re safe.”

Ray didn’t seem convinced, “I’ll nev-...-er be a good o...mega….for him. Broken.”

Geoff had enough. He couldn’t stand there while /his/ omega was so clearly in need of his alpha. He stepped inside the apartment, and Michael instantly glared at him, ‘No,’ he mouthed, ‘The smell.’

Geoff didn’t care. He knew he could comfort Ray. He knelt down beside the omegas and finally spoke up, “Ray.”

Ray nearly jumped, looking up at him with scared, upset eyes, “Geoff-”

“Shh,” he instantly quieted whatever protests the lad may have for him being here. He shimmied off his hoodie and draped it over the lad’s shoulders, extending his bare wrist for his omega, “Scent.”

Ray seemed even more confused, “What?”

“Scent.” A bit of authority seeped into his voice. He wasn’t sure what made him think this was a good idea- if the smell of alphas was the problem, it would only make his panic attack worse- but he had a feeling this is what his omega needed.

The thing was, he knew Ray. He’d spent enough time with the lad to know that, when he let his guard down, he actually liked a bit of guidance. He hated being bossed around, of course, but the ability to let someone else take the decisive reigns allowed him a moment to relax. In that oddly specific way, he behaved /exactly/ like an omega.

Ray wiped his face in his shirt again before cautiously pulling Geoff’s hand closer. The lad’s shaky breath met his wrist, and Geoff sat there in silence while the lad brushed his wet cheeks and lips against his wrist, mingling their scent together. Michael watched in concern, seemingly afraid the lad would regress at any moment.

Geoff, out of pure instinct, reached out and pressed down on the nape of Ray’s neck. He saw a visible slump of the lad’s shoulders, and chose to keep his hand there as the panic attack slowly settled down. It still required a few solid minutes of sitting in silence while Ray struggled to catch his breath and stop the waves of tears, but it seemed like the act of grounding the lad with his scent and the hand on his neck helped a lot.

The next time Ray dared to look up at Geoff, his eyes were dull and glazed over. He was tired and still visibly upset, but his breath had settled into shallow hiccups. Geoff ran his outstretched hand through Ray’s smooth hair, keeping his other hand on the lad’s neck for a moment longer, “You’re okay?” It sounded like more of a reassurance than a question. Ray’s response was delayed for a moment, but he managed a small nod.

There were so many things he wanted to say. He wanted to tell Ray that he was /his/ omega, and the lad was perfect just the way he was. He would wait forever for Ray to work through his internal demons if it meant seeing Ray happy again. He would tell the lad how admirably strong he was for fighting his fears. He wanted to tell him that he could move in with him at no charge if he truly felt unsafe in the run-down apartment the lads were living in.

But Ray needed rest, and Geoff didn’t want to overwhelm him after having such a vulnerable moment. Geoff looked over at Michael, who looked genuinely shocked that Ray let an alpha so close to him while in distress, “Michael, do you need to go back to Ryan’s tonight?”

Michael shook his head, “No, I told him I was coming back and staying here.”

He gave one final look at his omega before removing the grounding hand from the back of his neck, “Go nest with Michael.” It almost felt strange to command Ray, but it wasn’t the same kind of bossy commands that Ray hated. They were the commands of an alpha looking out for his omega. His commands were the control Ray needed in the moment.

Ray looked hurt when Geoff withdrew, letting Michael help him to his shaky feet, “Stay?”

Geoff smiled, “I’ll be here if you need me.” He nodded to Michael to help him to his room, and let the lads be. His omega would probably be too overwhelmed if Geoff were to try to nest with him, but at least he could be there to reassure Ray that he was safe.

That was all that mattered, after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ((Okay so this totally wasn't a self indulgent chapter where I was working through a panic attack. That's definitely not what happened here hahahahah-))
> 
> One more arc for this fic and then onto the next :) It's Myan and it's chock full of hurt/comfort


	24. Michael and Ryan's Tipping Point

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're really in the thick of it now. 3 chapters for this arc, a super cute chapter to close out part one, and then we're moving on to the prequel.  
> TW for attempted assault. It's stopped fairly early.

Being the only unclaimed omega and simultaneously the only omega /not/ taking their suppressants fucking sucked.

Michael had dealt with everything they’d thrown at him so far. The unwarranted flirting, the cat-calls, the soliciting by his cubicle- everything. All he had to do was flip the hungry alpha the finger and make a comment about calling HR, and they’d run away with their tail between their legs. 

Truthfully, he had been considering the idea of going back on suppressants or at least making his and Ryan’s relationship public. As much as he enjoyed his freedom from hormone alterations, he was getting fucking sick of being treated like trash. People on the street either looked at him like a whore or a tasty meal- depending on their own status. He had a few scares with young, impulsive alphas, but it still wasn’t enough to make him stifle his own scent. He could handle it.

“Linds, do you know where the new catalogs are? A client is asking for presale deals.” He currently had his customer on mute, and didn’t bother listening to the old woman’s anecdote about the time she called up their customer service department for a damaged product. He got a lot of those stories honestly, and it made him wonder what the fuck shipping was doing all day.

Lindsay gestured to the corner of the office and mouthed ‘closet’, clearly working on an important deal. Giving her a slight nod as thanks, he got up and left the safety of his cubicle to fetch a catalog from the supply closet. 

The closet was nothing special, just a 5’x7’ room full of crudely opened boxes and post-it note labels. It was a shitty system for a functional office but no one ever got around to changing it. He should ask Geoff about it.

He finally spotted the large brown box labeled ‘New Quarter Sales Catalog’ and yanked the box down from a higher shelf to dig through it. They really needed a new way to organize, or at least a bigger closet…

He was torn by his thoughts by a low growl, and he panicked. At the doorway there were two of the most /persistent/ alphas in the office. “Get lost,” he glared at them, but his words lacked their normal salt. He was acutely aware that they were standing in his only exit and he didn’t like it.

The taller alpha of the two looked angry, “Could you stop stinking up the office? Some of us actually need to work.”

The second one stared him down, teeth bared, “I swear he does it on purpose.”

Michael rolled up the catalog in his hands as if it could help him, “Like your smell is any better. Buy some noseplugs and get over it.” That’s how Geoff handled it at least, “Now if you’ll excuse me…” He made himself small, trying to fit through the small entryway.

The big guy took another step forward, effectively blocking his way, “I don’t think you get it omega. You can’t just waltz around with your scent like that and think that /we’re/ the problem. You need to be put in your place.”

Michael’s breath picked up at the man’s last sentence. He didn’t like that at all, “Keep it up and the only place you’ll be is at human resources-”

Michael grunted as he was pushed back into one of the shelves. He reached back to steady himself, ready to fight back when the alpha slammed one hand on either side of him. He was trapped, and the alpha was so fucking close that his brain was starting to fizzle out. The alpha noticed the sudden change of demeanor and laughed, “Not so confident now, huh? Little tease…” Michael could see it now; the alpha’s pupils were huge and his buddy was still blocking the door. Fuck. “You asked for this, coming in here with that potent fucking scent. You wanted an alpha’s attention.”

Part of his brain was fighting back but the other was completely immobilized by his status. His omegan instincts were always there in the back of his head, and normally he was able to ignore them. Not now. Not with an alpha nearly forcing him to submit. His body wanted to cave in, to give the alphas everything they wanted. An omega’s purpose was to please alpha. It took everything in his power not to instantly bear his neck to the fuck.

He didn’t want this.

Suddenly there was a hand on his chest, fingers bunching into his clothes, “I’m gonna make you beg for my knot until you realize how much of a submissive tease you really are. Maybe knotting you real good will take care of the smell.”

He didn’t know what to do. This alpha was strong and had him cornered where no one would ever know. His instincts wouldn’t let him push back, even after being threatened with a knot he didn’t want- fuck-

He didn’t want this. He didn’t want hands on him. He didn’t want anything sexual. The mere thought of the creep pinning him down made him want to scream. A panicked yelp escaped him as the alpha’s other hand touched his bare stomach-

“Let go of him.”

Both Michael and the alpha looked over at the door, a relieved whine hitting the back of his throat. The second alpha was gone, and Ryan- /his/ Ryan- was at the doorway.

His captor seemed confused, but didn’t remove his hand from his shirt yet, “You probably smell it too, huh Haywood. Don’t get testy. /You’ll have your turn/-”

Ryan surged forward, grabbing the man by his tie and pulling, “Don’t even /think/ about laying a hand on him again.” The alpha seemed shaken, but not yet grasping why Ryan would defend an omega like him. 

Instead of taking the hint, the other man pushed it farther, “You just want to pick up where I left off then? Because someone needs to teach this little slut a lesson.”

In a moment of sheer rage, Ryan yanked the tie, causing the man to tumble forward and out of the closet. Ryan didn’t hesitate; he picked the alpha up by the collar and snarled, “Unless you want to be the one getting knotted today, I suggest you never even /think/ about approaching Michael again. Got it?”

The younger alpha nodded frantically, and Ryan let him go. He scrambled away, leaving only the alpha and the terrified omega.

That had been too close. Way too close. If Alpha- if Ryan wasn’t there, something really bad could’ve happened.

Was it true? Was he ‘asking for it’ by not taking his suppressants? The words seeped into his mind like molten lava.

He didn’t even notice he was shaking until he detached himself from the shelf, “Ryan?” The gent was watching the other asshole run off, probably to make sure he knew he’d be watched closely in the future. At the sound of his name, he turned on the omega and quickly approached. Ryan kissed him- hard. Michael let in a sharp inhale, not prepared for the ferocity in which the gent locked their lips together. Ryan never kissed him like this- so dominant and hungry. They’d chosen to take their relationship slow, and since their confrontation the alpha was almost afraid to makeout with him.

Ryan’s hands found Michael’s wrists, steadying them. Michael couldn’t hold back a small, timid whine as Ryan drowned out the terror he just experienced. He was still afraid, but at least Ryan was here. Ryan could protect him.

Hesitation seemed to creep in when warm hands met Michael’s hips and the alpha’s lips began to migrate lower. It wasn’t the soft, light kisses Ryan would normally pepper his skin with while scenting. It was charged and a bit rough, and Ryan /knew/ how he felt about hands on his hips. This wasn’t like Ryan at all.

Finally, he felt teeth drag against his neck, and he knew he had to stop, “Ryan.”

Ryan stopped instantly, pulling back and staring at Michael. Something was wrong. Ryan’s pupils were so dialated that his eyes were almost completely darkened- with lust? He was burning up and breathing heavily too.

The gent seemed to snap out of the moment, realizing something was up as well. He clutched his chest, then felt his forehead.

His eyes suddenly went wide, seemingly understanding his sudden change in attitude, “Fuck.” He shot Michael a brief look of desperation before touching his hand one last time and backing away, “You need to tell Geoff what happened Michael. He needs to make a report. I-I have to go.” He ran- literally /ran/ down the hallway towards the finance department.

It took Michael a few minutes to force himself out of the closet. He wouldn’t lie; he was afraid the alphas would come back. He was scared of how quickly his own body began fighting him, practically demanding that Michael get on his knees and submit. He didn’t want it- he never fucking wanted it but he was so close to- and thank God Ryan was there…

It was thinking about Ryan that finally made him leave the supply closet and head towards Geoff’s office. Ryan’s behavior and expression was concerning. Ryan never looked like that, even when Michael spent his heat at the gent’s house and practically begged him to claim him in his fervor. Ryan was never that assertive.

He managed to walk to Geoff’s office with shaky knees and an upset stomach. He knocked once, opening up the office and catching the tail end of a phone conversation

“Hey, just calm down,” Geoff sat at his desk, head in his hands, “You did the right thing.” Michael cleared his throat and the boss looked up at him in surprise. Then, he raised a finger, signaling for him to wait, “I know, I know. You just focus on driving home.” A pause, “Michael just walked in.”

Ryan. He was probably talking to Ryan. What was wrong with him? Did Michael do something wrong? “Is he okay?” He whispered.

Geoff’s lips formed a thin line, “I’ll tell him that.” He sighed, “Get inside and make sure you lock the doors. If you need me, I’ll be there.” Distant murmuring from the other line could be heard through the gent’s loud as fuck office phone, but Michael couldn’t discern any clear words, “Yeah, I’ll check in once I’m done. Be careful.”

Geoff hung up the phone and stared at Michael with concern, “Ryan briefly mentioned that something happened. Are you okay?”

“Maybe, uh-” he wasn’t quite sure what to say. He didn’t /feel/ okay. He didn’t feel safe in the office and he definitely wasn’t going to wipe that moment from his memory anytime soon, “Is Ryan okay?”

Geoff pulled out a manilla folder from his desk and opened it up to reveal an incident report form, “We need to focus on you first. What happened? He didn’t really go into details.”

Michael was displeased that the boss wouldn’t tell him what was wrong with his boyfriend, but he didn’t push it, “Well…” Suddenly his mouth felt dry. Trying to find the words to explain what happened felt so difficult, “I went to the closet to grab a new catalog and when I turned around two alphas-” Fuck, he didn’t even know their names. “-one of them was from sales, the big one. They blocked the exit and talked about how I-” he cut off, panic catching up to him.

He really was almost assaulted at his own job. He wasn't safe here. If he couldn't feel safe at his own fucking job, could he feel safe anywhere?

“-how I was a tease and they-” His breath picked up, body turning to lead beneath him.

Geoff didn’t look well either. His face was pale and he was clutching the pen so hard he thought it might snap. The gent’s tone was seemingly restricted, “What did they say?”

“They trapped me and told me they’d make me beg for their knot.”

There was a heavy moment of silence while both of them processed the reality of what happened. Michael was blaming himself. He also knew that the whole ordeal sounded too fucking similar to the time that Ray found himself cornered by an alpha.

He could now understand why Ray was so afraid. 

Geoff wrote down what Michael said but looked like he would snap at any second, “Then what happened?” He asked, not making eye contact.

“Ryan came. I don’t know where the other alpha went, but Ryan came and threw the one touching me out and threatened him.”

Geoff finished writing, “I’ll have to ask Ryan what he said later.” The alpha could probably sense that Michael didn’t want to talk about it. 

Then, Geoff looked up, strong exterior quickly melting away and being replaced with a sad expression, “I’m so sorry Michael.”

Michael felt pressure behind his eyes but forced himself not to cry. He had no reason to cry- it wasn’t like they had the chance to actually do anything to him, right? He could’ve been worse off. “It’s okay. It’s my fault-”

Geoff stood, anger seeping into the room, “It’s not your fault. You didn’t fucking ask for any of that.” 

Michael slumped in his chair, “But they were right- Not taking suppressants /is/ asking for it-”

“No.” Geoff walked around his desk to Michael’s chair and the lad let out a shocked gasp when Geoff hugged him. “It doesn’t matter if you hide your scent or not. You are not to blame for them being dicks.” 

Michael wasn’t sure what to do. Geoff’s hug was sincere, but he still felt so disconnected and scared. He was so scared that it would happen again. It made him want to rip his scent glands out of his body so no one could ever smell him again. It was his fault, wasn’t it? He should’ve hid his scent so other alphas wouldn’t be tempted. 

Geoff pulled back, catching his gaze, “I will make sure HR takes care of this. Immediately.” He took a step back, realizing Michael still looked stunned, “Sorry for hugging you out of the blue too. I just…” he trailed off, and the lad could easily fill in the blanks. Geoff was afraid that what happened to Ray was happening all over again. It would’ve if Ryan wasn’t there.

Ryan. “What’s wrong with Ryan?” he asked the gent.

Geoff backed off a bit more, retreating behind his desk, “He called me and told me that you were in trouble and he may have threatened someone. He...uh…” The gent seemed far too hesitant to give him a direct answer.

The omega wasn’t having it, “Tell me what’s wrong. He seemed so off when I saw him.”

“He’s going into a rut.”

A...rut? “What?”

“The fear and aggression from dealing with those other alphas must have set it off.” It was uncommon but not rare for strong stimuli such as fighting or desperation to set off a rut in an alpha male. Normally it only happened when an alpha is challenged or when a mate is in a bad heat. Michael couldn’t believe that it would happen to Ryan, but it made a lot of sense when he thought back to the gent’s behavior. In that moment, all Ryan had been was angry at the alphas and lustful and protective towards his boyfriend. It made sense.

Geoff continued, “He called me because he wanted to make sure you were okay and fill me in. He’s heading home to ride it out.”

“Will he be okay?” He’d never seen Ryan in a rut before. If it was anything like an omega’s heat, he shouldn’t have to deal with it alone. “Does he need me there?”

“No!” Geoff answered quickly, and Michael recoiled. The gent apologized, seeing how upset Michael was by his quick response, “I mean, it wouldn’t be a good time to be around him. He wanted me to tell you that he was sorry for being so aggressive with you earlier and to make sure you didn’t worry about him.”

“But...if it’s like a heat-”

“There is no way I could let you into his apartment Michael.” Geoff’s tone was a bit more lighthearted than before, and the lad suspected it was just to make sure Michael stayed calm, “He was already starting to lose himself on the ride home. Ruts are dangerous; we get angry and possessive and horny as dicks. He wouldn’t be able to hold himself back if you were around.” 

Michael felt terrible that his boyfriend was about to go into this apparently dangerous state because of him, “But I want to help!”

Geoff chuckled, “You can help by staying away from his house. Seriously. I will only go in there if its necessary because he will absolutely try to fight me.” He stood and looked at the clock, “He told me to drive you home and make sure you’re okay. I think you should take the rest of the day off, considering the circumstances….”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ....Sorry


	25. Ray Understands

Michael wasn’t waiting for Ray, but no matter what he did he couldn’t fall asleep.

His mind was still reeling from the day. There was so much that happened in such a short amount of time, and he felt guilty for all of it. He inadvertently provoked the alphas. Ryan was trapped in his home, forced to endure a rut on his own. Even though he’d showered twice aand changed his clothes, he could still feel the hand on his stomach. No one, not even his exes, ever got that close to fucking him. 

He laid on the living room couch, hoping that some good old fashioned television could distract him from his unstable emotions. Behind him, the front door opened, and then he heard all three locks click into place. It was Ray.

The lad carelessly tossed his stuff aside and peeked over the arm of the couch at Michael, face down, “Hey...you’re still up?”

Michael nodded, a lump forming at the back of his throat. He couldn’t seem too upset, or Ray would get suspicious and make him open up about the day, “How was work?” He mumbled into the shitty throw pillow.

Ray scoffed, “Fucking lousy, as always. It wouldn’t be a normal shift if my manager didn’t threaten to fire me, right?”

Michael hated Ray’s manager so much, “Why did he threaten you this time?”

Ray sat in the armchair next to him, visibly fatigued, “I’m not friendly enough apparently. It’s not like I’m also trying to run the entire fucking store by myself on top of providing a ‘fun, friendly, and informative experience’.” He yawned and kicked his feet up onto the coffee table, “It’s not much longer, right? Someone else will give me a call back eventually….” Ray had been on the job hunt for months to no avail. He applied everywhere within a twenty mile radius, but no one had called.

The roommates knew why. Question two of every fucking application was ‘What is your status?’

Question three, pertaining only to omegas, asked if you were claimed.

It was a bullshit system, but a lot of lower level jobs didn’t want someone who would stink up the place. Additionally, a majority of omegas didn’t work. Omegas were prone to quit once they’d been claimed by an alpha. Amendment 62 tried to correct this by not requiring people to disclose their status to employers, but not answering was almost as bad as the alternative. Michael was lucky to work as a phone salesman- the company didn’t care so much about status.

Apparently its employees did though.

Ray snatched the remote and started flipping through channels, “Maybe I should just apply to where you work. There has to be a job there for me, right?” Ray didn’t want to do sales, but at this point the lad probably just wanted to get away from Gamestop at all cost.

Michael couldn’t let him go to his work though. It wasn’t safe, “About work…”

Ray didn’t notice his hesitation, “Yeah?”

Michael felt the lump in his throat expand. He knew he had to tell Ray- he definitely didn’t want the lad hearing it from Geoff- but he wasn’t sure what the omega would say. If it were Michael, he would tell himself to shut the fuck up; nothing actually happened, so there wasn’t a reason to be so /scared/. “Something happened…”

Ray finally sensed the tone shift, and lowered the volume of the TV, “...Did Geoff do something stupid? Because I’ll fight him.”

Michael laughed, but it lacked substance, “No, not beyond his normal stupidity at least.” He forced himself to remain calm, despite the knot in his gut, “A few alphas gave me a hard time. They caught me when I was in a supply closet. Told me how bad I stunk.”

Ray didn’t respond right away, seemingly sensing that he wasn’t telling the omega everything. Michael could’ve stopped there, but Ray would find out from Geoff anyway. It wasn’t a big deal. Things like this have happened before, right? Michael’s situation was normal, “They were just assholes, you know? Grabbed me and threatened to knot me, that kind of stuff.” He needed to play it off. 

The rest of the story came flooding up in the same nonchalant tone, “Ryan showed up and chased them off, no big deal. He uh, got a little too riled up though, and he went into a rut. Geoff sent us both home early.”

That was it. That was the whole story. Michael rubbed his face into the throw pillow, ignoring the pressure behind his eyes.

Ray didn’t speak for a while. Neither of them did. They sat with the television rambling on in the background as the situation cemented in both of their heads. 

“Michael…” Ray began, and Michael immediately needed to shut it down.

“It’s fine. I’m fine,” he sat up, “Nothing happened.”

He heard Ray get up and move over to the large couch, “/Michael/-”

“It’s fine! Seriously, not a big deal. Ryan got there are fixed it. They only grabbed me, they hadn’t gone farther yet.” Yet. He lowered his voice, “Nothing happened, so there’s no reason for me to bitch about it.”

Ray slapped a hand on top of Michael’s mouth, effectively shutting him up. Michael finally looked at his friend, the panic in his body threatening to resurface. He didn’t look bored or agitated by the omega’s petty problems. He looked upset, “Just because nothing happened doesn’t mean it wasn’t a big deal.” 

“It could’ve been worse-”

“Yeah, it could’ve. It should’ve never happened at all. Stop invalidating yourself.” He smacked Michael lightly, and he couldn’t help but chuckle. Ray ran a hand through his hair, “...Are you okay?”

Michael shrugged, “I don’t know, I should be-”

“I don’t give a shit what you ‘should’ be. I care about what you are right now.”

Michael finally pinpointed the emotion plaguing Ray’s face. It wasn’t anger or sadness, it was empathy. Ray understood. He’d been in Michael’s position before, and he’d been through a lot worse than Michael could imagine, “I…” He took a shallow breath, fears bubbling to the surface. If it was safe to talk to anyone about this, it was Ray, “I’m scared.” He was so scared. He couldn’t even leave the supply closet after it happened, “My body /fought/ me. I didn’t want it- I /really/ didn’t want it- but my body just forced me to stand there and submit.” In the moment, his arms turned to lead and his feet melted into the ground. He never felt so /helpless/.

Ray, still carding through Michael’s tangled hair, pulled Michael in to his chest, “It’s biology. The body and the brain don’t communicate very well around alphas. It’s all instinctual.”

Michael peeked up at the omega, “I thought you didn’t pay attention in bio class.”

Ray smirked, “I didn’t. I looked it up….after....” Michael’s brain filled in the blanks.

Michael, despite feeling jittery and uncertain about the events that transpired, felt calm under Ray’s hand, “I have to work with them. I still have to see them.” Even though Geoff insisted he’d take care of it, Michael was doubtful that HR could do anything for a situation that never truly took form, “-And I still fucking feel like I’m making a big deal over it. It wasn’t that bad. It wasn’t as bad as it could’ve been.”

“You’re asexual Michael.”

The curly-haired omega shot him a sarcastic glance, “Really? I didn’t notice.”

Ray gently smacked his head again, “Shush, I’m making a point.” His hand settled back in the lad’s hair, absentmindedly playing with the strands, “You have every reason to be scared and upset. You’re asexual; you don’t like the idea of having sex and someone threatened to violate you. That would scare the shit out of someone who /isn’t/ asexual, and it sure as hell would be terrifying for you.”

“He almost went through with it,” Michael mumbled, head resting on Ray’s sternum, “If Ryan hadn’t shown up. He grabbed me and lifted my shirt.”

Ray made a small noise of disgust before continuing, “He threatened you and you knew he would follow through with it. That’s scary enough on its own.” The lad stayed silent, and the Ray rested his chin on Michael’s head, “Do you think someone who has a knife held to their throat has any less reason to be scared than someone who was stabbed?”

Ray was right, and the lad knew it. His analogy made too much sense and, for what it was worth, did make him better about ‘overreacting’. 

They sat still for a few minutes, simply keeping each other company. The TV was long forgotten and the only movement came from the slow rise and fall of Ray’s chest. It had been a long time since the two of them were together like this; they’d been trying to get used to having their alphas around during heats, and Ray’s boss kept him so late that they rarely had open nights to spend together. Michael missed his friend.

They couldn’t stay there forever though. Eventually, Michael would have to get up and go to work, and face it all again. He almost brought up his fear that he’d brought this all upon himself by not taking suppressants, but decided against it. He knew he was in the wrong- Ray had warned him against going off the pills in the first place.

Instead, he let another worry take precedence, “What do I do now?”

Ray was silent for a moment, thinking it through. Finally, he lifted his head off the omega’s, “Remember when my accident happened? How, when everything was over, I ran to your place and sat on the floor and cried until I fell asleep?”

Michael nodded, remembering that day vividly. Ray had never seemed so small before, sitting on his floor with bags under his eyes and an eviction notice in his hand. 

“You sat with me and cleaned me up. You called my work and told them I had ‘fuckoff-itis’, whatever the fuck that meant,” The lad chuckled lightly, a wonderful sound, “...You told me you’d never let something like that happen to me again.”

He was so afraid for Ray back then. The lad was scared to bits and Michael wasn’t sure what to do besides be extremely angry with the fucked up society they lived in. Omegas were powerless to big, abusive alphas, and alphas were never taught an ounce of respect.

At least, that was what he thought until meeting Geoff and Ryan.

Ray pulled Michael back up, determined, “You kept your promise, and I want to do the same for you. You’ll never have to face them again, so long as I can help it.”

As much as the omega wanted to believe his friend could do that, he couldn’t just quit his job. They desperately needed the money to afford their shithole apartment, “I can’t bring you into work with me,” he said, resigned to the fact he’d have to walk in those doors Monday morning.

Ray shifted in the couch, pulling out his phone with a sly grin, “Fucking try me.” The lad stood, leaving Michael confused on the couch as the lad took his conversation into the bedroom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The relationship between Ray and Michael in this AU is super important and I haven't gotten a chance to expand on it yet. But I will.
> 
> Let me know if there is something y'all want to see covered in this story! A specific scenario, a relationship that hasn't been explored as much, more worldbuilding etc. I'd be happy to find a way to include it!!


	26. A Series of Phone Calls

Geoff knew the call was coming. In fact, he was surprised it didn’t come sooner. Ray’s name lit up his lock screen, and he forced himself to answer with a leveled voice, “Hey Ray.”

“Don’t you fucking ‘hey’ me right now Ramsey.”

Yup, there it was. Geoff sighed, digging his thumb into his temple, “Listen, I know you’re upset. I’m upset too-”

Ray’s voice was laced with anger and distress, “How the fuck could you let this happen? At work? I came home and Michael was on the couch upset-”

“It’s not like I can control every little thing that happens in the building! I have a lot of employees! I sit in a little office in the back of the department and they keep enough paperwork stacked on my desk so that I never leave.”

“Michael got /hurt/ Geoff,” Ray’s voice cracked, betraying the fear he felt for his friend. Geoff felt his words escape him, leaving a heavy silence over the phone. No one was happy about the situation. No one wanted this to happen. Ray groaned, “It was Michael. Nothing like this should ever happen to Michael. He needs to be safe.” The silence continued, and the lad’s panic started slipping more into the conversation, “He- He told me what happened and all I could think about was how it felt to be there, to feel betrayed by your instincts. To feel trapped and alone. He should’ve never felt like that. /Never/.”

Geoff understood where the lad was coming from. In a desperate attempt to regain control and calm the omega down, he spoke up, “I know. I’m upset that I wasn’t able to stop it before it got this far. I’d asked Ryan in the past not to scent with Michael in the office to try to keep the smell manageable, but it wasn’t enough.” 

“Nope. It wasn’t.”

Geoff was agitated. He was already beaten down from this even happening under his management, and he was worried as fuck about Ryan too. The gent hadn’t responded to him in a few hours, “As mad as you are at me, I’m twice as mad at myself, okay? I now have /two/ employees shaken by this experience.”

“Two?”

“Ryan is in a rut.” Geoff felt like shit for it too. “I was just as shocked as you were when everything went down. I get a phone call from a panicked best friend trying to keep his cool on the highway because his boyfriend was assaulted and he was hauling ass home before he accidently ‘broke Michael’s trust’, whatever that means…”

“Broke Michael’s trust- oh.”

Geoff instinctively raised an eyebrow, “You know what he meant by that?”

“Not your business Ramsey.”

Geoff bristled, “Yes it is my fucking business now, because I’m gonna have to bring this entire case to HR and something tells me I’m gonna have to defend Ryan for stopping an assault- which is bullshit by the way- and I’m pretty sure their relationship hasn’t been acknowledged by HR so that’s gonna be a bitch and a half-”

“Still not your business.”

The alpha grumbled, seeing that Ray wasn’t going to let up the information, regardless of how helpful it could be, “Well if its important can you ask Michael if I can know? It would be sort of helpful so I can save everyone’s job.”

There was a small noise on the other end of the phone, indicating agreement.

Geoff rested his head in his hands, “Thank you….” 

He hated that this happened. The look Michael gave him when he walked in was absolutely heartbreaking. He looked uncomfortable, like being in the room with him was somehow unsafe. Ray used to look at Geoff the same way- sometimes, he still did. “Ray-” He groaned, hitting his fist against the table, “-this is bullshit. I tried to avoid it but-”

“I know you did your best, but it still happened.” Ray’s voice was lower now. Controlled, “Now we all need to face it. The first step is letting Michael work from home.”

“What? There’s no way they’d allow that-” Giving Michael special treatment would just put them in a worse position when Geoff had to make a case for him.

“I don’t care what they’d allow. Michael cannot be in the building if they’re in there.”

“But-”

“/Geoff/-” Ray snarled over the phone, “Do you remember what it was like when I had to go back for my deposit? When I had to see /him/ again? That’s what it’ll fucking be like for him too. Do you want that?”

Geoff got caught in the memory. The Ray he’d let into his car that day was a shaking mess. He couldn’t focus on anything besides the threat of facing the landlord. 

Ray was right- the young salesman shouldn’t be forced to go through that, “....I’ll do my best.”

“Thank you.” Geoff grinned- every time the omega thanked him, he fell a little more for the stubborn omega. 

In his hand, his phone started buzzing; Ryan’s name flashed on the screen and he almost dropped the phone in surprise, “Hey, I’m gonna have to call you back Ray-Ray, Ryan’s calling.”

“Ray-Ray??”

He chuckled, “Okay I’ll talk to you later, you’re wonderful, bye-!” He heard the lad beginning to question the sudden pet name as he hung up, switching to the other call, “Hey buddy, how are you feeling?”

The growl of pain on the other end was enough of an answer for him, “Geoff I need you to come.”

“What? Why?”

“Now.”

\---

Michael answered the phone, “Hey.”

“Michael, before I say anything I need you to be very calm.”

Well, that’s not how conversations should start. His stomach immediately twisted in his chest, “What’s wrong? Is it Ray? Ryan?” 

“Deep breaths, everyone is okay. Now.” He added the last word in, and the omega’s temper flared. /Now/ means that something bad happened. Thankfully Geoff continued before Michael fully freaked out, “Ryan called me because he had a splitting headache and was very dizzy. He started having muscle cramps and realized it probably wasn’t from the rut. I took him to the hospital and he’s just dehydrated.”

The lad only heard the bad things: headache, dizzy, cramps, hospital. Dehydrated. Michael let out an uncharacteristically small whine, “Is he okay? Can I help? Can I come see him?”

Geoff chuckled, “He’s /fine/,” he reaffirmed, “They’ve got an IV in him to give him fluids and he’s pretty much done with his rut. He’s tired but he’ll be good as new soon.”

Geoff wasn’t answering the question he wanted to hear, “Can. I. See. Him.” The lad started pulling on a coat, prepared to take the bus in his PJs. This was all his fault. If Ryan hadn’t come to save him, his rut never would’ve been triggered. 

The older alpha must’ve flagged down a nurse to ask, because he heard a strange voice in the background, “Yeah you can come.”

Michael hung up and immediately ran to the nearest bus stop  
\---

Michael arrived and scared the living daylights out of the woman at the front desk. He demanded to get his boyfriend’s room and wouldn’t let up until she gave in. He wanted to see his alpha after days of worrying about him in his rut, and he was finally getting his chance to talk to him. He could finally /thank/ him.

He found the gent’s room easily. Geoff was waiting outside, seemingly for him, and his boss waved, “Hey.”

The lad ignored him, ducking under his outstretched arms and pulling open the curtain to Ryan’s room.

Thank fucking God the alpha didn’t look that bad. He was propped against a mountain of pillows, the vitals monitor beeping behind him. He seemed tired and a bit pale, but that was most likely the rut and dehydration. In Michael’s fears, he thought Ryan would look absolutely ragged.

Michael didn’t even wait for Ryan to see him. He rushed to his side, sitting on the open side of the hospital bed, “Ryan! Are you okay?” He didn’t realize how much he cared until now, when the gent was suddenly not okay. 

Ryan stared at him for a moment, seemingly processing his omega’s presence. It dawned on him that this was the first time they’ve spoken in over four days. Not since the accident, “I’m fine,” he assured, a small smile coming to his lips.

Michael didn’t believe him, “You’re dehydrated right? Why didn’t you drink? I should’ve been around to make sure you were okay! You needed me.” 

The gent offered him his free arm, and Michael realized how uptight he really was. He was so worried about the gent that he was breathing fast, voice higher than normal. Understanding, he brushed his nose against the outstretched wrist, letting Ryan’s heightened scent envelop him. He didn’t just smell like a campfire, he smelled like a wonderful brick oven; the rut made him smell so fucking good. 

As Michael calmed down, Ryan watched him carefully, “I’m fine, I promise. I should be out of here by tomorrow and back to work on Monday. I was just stupid and didn’t drink enough water.” 

He looked up at Ryan from his hand, “You weren’t stupid, you were in a rut. You couldn’t think straight.”

Ryan stiffened, and Michael was afraid he did something wrong. However, Ryan just sighed, “I told Geoff not to tell you. I didn’t want you to worry about it.”

Michael forced a smile, “I would’ve worried regardless.” He pulled back from Ryan but interalced their fingers, “I’m so glad you’re okay.” God he felt emotional. He leaned forward and hugged the gent, who immediately hissed in pain. Michael pulled back, wide-eyed, and suddenly Ryan was avoiding eye-contact with him, “Are you in pain?”

“Just some sore muscles from the last few days. I don’t really remember what happened.” 

The rut had fucked him up. Michael felt absolutely terrible for causing all of this, “I’m sorry. If it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t have gone into a rut.”

Ryan stared at him a moment. For once, Michael couldn’t read his face. Was he mad at him? “Michael… you think that my rut was your fault?”

“I mean, it was triggered because you were fighting to protect me!”

“Yeah, but that’s not your fault! You didn’t ask to be approached and touched like that.”

Michael’s worries were starting to seep into the conversation. Ryan didn’t understand that it /was/ his fault. He was the little tease who wouldn’t suppress his hormones. He was asking for trouble- asking for attention. “But I asked for it when I chose not to cover my scent-”

Ryan growled, and Michael immediately locked eyes with an angry gent, “They should’ve never touched you. Covering your scent doesn’t matter. Shit Michael, I fell into my rut in front of you and I still pulled back once you hesitated.”

It was true, and Michael was shocked by that the more he thought about it. For the alpha’s unclaimed omega of interest to be right in front of him, ripe for the taking, and for him to stop the way he did- it was fucking amazing. 

Ryan pulled Michael in by his arm and kissed him. It was soft and slow, the way he liked it, “I heard what they said," he mumbled the words, lips brushing lightly over the lad's, "You’re not a tease. You’re not a slut. You are strong and independent, and I’ll go into a rut again if it means defending you.”

Well fuck, that was endearing. Michael closed the space between them again, kissing him back with his normal power. Ryan was so good to him- he definitely didn’t deserve it. He was the boyfriend Michael always dreamed about; the kind that would care about him without forcing him to be something he wasn’t. 

Michael pulled back, out of breath, “I love you.” 

It was almost comical, the way the pulse monitor picked up speed when Michael said it. Heat rose to Ryan’s cheeks, and for a moment he was worried he’d spoken too soon. However, Ryan smiled back, “I love you too.”

They kissed, and Michael felt on cloud nine. He had an alpha that he loved. His alpha loved him back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> They're in love. All is right with the world <3 
> 
> Let me know if you want a bonus chapter with some first person insight on Ryan's rut!! I haven't written it, but I know for a fact that things happen that I didn't talk about. This will NOT be the last time an alpha going into a rut is an issue though :)
> 
> One. More. Chapter!!!!


	27. Geoff and Ray. Alpha and Omega.

It was the great stir-fry games, and Geoff was not going to let his cocky little pupil win.

After months and months of Geoff teaching Ray how to cook (AKA how to be a normal, functioning adult), Ray had nearly mastered the art of the meal. He would invite Geoff over and cook for him just to show off; as endearing as it was, the alpha couldn’t stand to be outdone by the little twerp. After a long night of bickering while watching Chopped together (Ray absentmindedly playing his DS and resting his feet on Geoff’s lap), he suggested they put the omega’s new skill to the test. They’d have a cooking competition of their own- Geoff vs. Ray. The winner gets bragging rights and the loser does dishes.

The date they’d scheduled for the competition turned out to be extremely appreciated. Between Ryan going into a rut, Geoff’s battle with HR to handle Michael’s complaint faster, and Ray’s recent rejection from a desk job, they both needed a break from reality. Ray also muttered something about ‘making the alpha cave smell better’, but Geoff was just happy the lad agreed to come without throwing a fit. He was more attached to Michael than ever after the office incident, so getting them back to a healthy amount of time together was pretty much a top priority. 

Even so, he hadn’t planned on Ray opening the back door of his car and chucking in an overnight bag before getting in, “What?” He accused Geoff of staring, “We don’t know how long this shit is gonna take! I gotta be prepared.”

Geoff had no complaints.

Ray cracked his knuckles, “Ready to lose?” The omega had a fire in his eyes that the gent didn’t get to see very often. He stood at the edge of the kitchen island, poised to jump in.

Geoff smirked at his omega, “Hope you’re ready to do a fuckton of dishes. Wait-” He paused the banter, leaving the kitchen to grab a bag from behind his bedroom door. Ray watched after him, grumbling something about screwing up his game before it started. 

Geoff chuckled, knowing that the delay was worth it. He held out the brown bag to his omega, jiggling it in front of the lad’s face, “You’re gonna need this.”

Ray raised an eyebrow at him, taking the bag from the alpha and peeking inside, “...What’s this?”

“Open it.”

Ray pulled the thick green fabric out of the bag, unfolding the apron with care. The front of the apron had a Halo helmet on it, with the caption 'Master Chief' with the 'i' crossed out to turn it into 'Master Chef'. It took Geoff weeks to find the exact apron he wanted to give the lad, and the look on the lad’s face was worth it. He burst out into laughter, slipping the apron over his head, “I /fucking/ love it Geoff.”

Geoff grinned, “I knew you would.” He reached over to help tie the apron around Ray’s waist, “You’re gonna need it when you’re doing dishes later,” he teased, giving the lad a small pat on the back. He was slowly gaining the courage to be physical with Ray- just a few touches here and there. Occasional scenting. More often than not the lad would initiate, and Geoff was hoping he’d have the courage to break through the physical barrier for good. He wanted to cuddle with his omega so bad.

Ray rolled his eyes, “Let’s do this already. I got places to be.”

The alpha raised an eyebrow, “Where? Third-wheeling with Michael and Ryan?”

He bounced on his feet, “No- on your couch playing video games while you scrub dried grime off of your pans.” He set the little rooster egg timer Geoff had on his counter and slammed it against the granite, “/Let’s start/!”

Geoff instantly dropped the bag, pushing Ray out of the way to get to the fridge first. He pulled out vegetables, purposely putting them back in random placed in the fridge to make Ray’s life harder. He couldn’t make it easy for the lad- he knew the omega was better at chopping shit than him (curse his shaky hands) and Ray likely did his homework prior to their friendly competition. There was a lot at stake, after all; they were both stubborn and wanted the bragging rights.

Ray weaseled into the fridge after him, cursing when he couldn’t immediately find the carrots and celery, “Bitch,” he teased, hip-bumping the alpha out of the way so he could lay out his ingredients on the kitchen island. Every time they made any sort of contact, his heart soared.

They worked in silence, Geoff occasionally humming a tune as he chopped and diced his veggies and seasoned his meat. Ray was in the zone, not reacting to anything as his meticulously laid everything out and loaded it into the oiled pan.

As the match started to die down, Geoff’s ulterior motive for getting the lad alone started rising to the forefront of his thoughts. He’d been waiting to bring it up, but there was never a good time when he thought the lad would give him a genuine answer. Right now, however, the lad was trapped by his culinary masterpiece. He couldn’t escape.

“Hey Ray,” Geoff began, hands buried deep in his work, “How would you define a good omega?”

“Hmm?” The lad looked up briefly from his stir-fry before avoiding the gent’s gaze completely, “Why you asking?”

Geoff had been waiting for this moment. The question had been on his mind since Ray’s panic attack, but he was waiting until the lad was relaxed to dive in to the sensitive topic, “Just curious,” he lied.

Ray grunted, rushing past the gent to grab something to drink from the fridge, “I don’t know….”

Geoff tossed his own plethora of chopped ingredients into a slightly larger pan, determined to get to the bottom of this idea of ‘good omegas’, “You said….you said when you were having a panic attack that you didn’t think you were a good omega.”

Ray scoffed, “Yeah, ‘cause I’m not.”

Geoff put his handiwork on a burner, turning the heat to a moderate setting to avoid burning his vegetables, “Well, what makes you think that? What are the traits of a ‘good omega’?”

Ray set his shit on the stovetop as well- as if he was waiting for Geoff to set his shit down first-, leaning against the granite island, “Do we really have to talk about this now?”

The gent nodded, “Yep, unless you’d like to leave me alone with your vulnerable stir fry ingredients.” Ray looked over at his pan and cursed under his breath. Geoff began to pull out fancier plates for their finished products as he waited for a response.

Ray rubbed his arm, still watching the stir fry, “Well… I don’t fucking know. A good omega is one that acts like an omega should. You know- all flirty and sociable and shit. Good omegas are able to make their alphas happy. They listen. They give in to an alpha’s dominance.”

Geoff eyed Ray, “They’re /obedient/,” he inferred. He knew the type of omega Ray was talking about. Omegas who would follow their alphas around like little puppies, always affectionate and always attending to the alpha’s needs. To his dismay, a lot of omegas behaved like cute, sociable servants. Geoff couldn’t find the appeal.

Ray sighed, “Yup. Obedient. That’s the word.”

He wanted to laugh- Ray was sure as hell right that he wasn’t obedient. He was far too independent and assertive to fit into the stereotypical omega archetype. However, Geoff couldn’t stand to think that his independence was a /bad/ thing, “Why do you think obedience is a good thing?”

Ray scooched past the gent, nearly causing an accident as the gent balanced the ingredients that needed to be put away in his arms. Without hesitation, the lad grabbed half the pile and started stacking them inside the refrigerator, “Give me a TV channel and I can probably give you at least five different shows that explicitly state: obedient equals good.”

Geoff wanted to test that theory, “TBS.”

The omega thought for a minute before resuming his clean-up, “Foxie and Moxie- two omega roommates. One is “good” and is courted by like twenty different alphas. The other is loud and bad and ends up alone. The shitty rom-com...uh...Oh- Red Collars. Rich living alphas trying to find true love. Both end up with two omegas each. Collared and bred.” Ray shuddered at the thought, and Geoff wanted to as well. A newer fad that started up among primal couples was collaring. On top of claiming omegas, they made their mates wear expensive collars to show off that they’re owned. Although the idea of splurging a ridiculous amount of money on a mate was right up his alley, he didn’t like the idea of physically marking a living person as property. It was weird.

Ray, without pausing his list of shows, pulled out a bottle of water for Geoff and handed it to him. The gent held back a chuckle as his sassy lad continued, “The reality show- Trust Your Instincts. It’s all about ten alphas and omegas in a house together, and they have to find the partner they like most. The omegas are downright servants in that one….”

“Alright, I get it,” Geoff finally interrupted him, setting down his drink. He still couldn’t understand how Ray could think poorly of himself as an omega when he was so protective and considerate and adorable, “The media says that obedient omegas are good omegas. But just because the media says it doesn’t mean its true!”

Ray closed the fridge, a small yawn escaping him, “I mean, the media controls everything, so…”  
He gestured to the air around him, and then to himself, “...by definition, I am a bad omega. I’m not sweet or bubbly or obedient- the fucking opposite actually.”

Geoff watched Ray carefully for a moment before smirking, “Well, what about my definition of a good omega, doesn’t that count?”

“No.”

Damn it Ray, “I think it does.” He took a step closer to the lad, “I think a good omega is one that is sassy and witty. A good omega cares about their friends’ safety and watches out for them.” He cocked his head to the side, practically daring Ray to argue with him, “A /good/ omega is one that makes their alpha smile.” He smiled at the lad, as if to accentuate his point, “It sounds like you’re a pretty damn good omega to me.”

Ray stared at him blankly for a moment. Geoff didn’t like the fact that the sassy omega thought he was bad for being independent. Sure, many omegas are perfectly content and happy with being obedient, but it wasn’t a /requirement/. He liked that Ray was bossy and bold. The lad even had his “obedient” moments; he had an innate sense for what the alpha needed, whether it was a drink (which he didn’t even notice himself doing) or a laugh. Ray was more than a good omega in his eyes- he was a great omega.

Then, before Geoff could register what was happening, Ray was leaning forward and crashing their lips together. The alpha gasped, shocked by the physical affection. Ray’s lips were warm, flooding his nose with the sweet smell of freshly baked goods. They’d never kissed before; this was their first time.

Geoff was absolutely in love with him in that moment.

He closed his eyes, daring to reach up and cup Ray’s burning cheek. The lad hummed, sending a shockwave through his lips and down his spine. Fuck, Ray was hot. 

Eventually Ray pulled back, remaining mere inches from the gent’s face. He was slightly out of breath, but he looked smug as fuck. He planted one more chaste kiss on the alpha’s lips before outright grinning, “Your sir fry is burning.”

Fuck. Geoff pulled back and looked at the stove. Somehow, his burner had been turned up to the highest setting. He panicked, pulling the pan off the stove and turning it off, “Ray you little brat!” He teased as the lad ran away, laughing. Even though the kiss had apparently been a ploy to sabotage his meal, Geoff still felt like he was walking on air. Ray kissed with all the feisty-ness and passion he’d been expecting and more. He was happy with the transition into more physical romantic gestures because it meant the lad was comfortable with him.

He never thought he’d see the day.

\---

In the end, Geoff still managed to win the competition. Despite the sabotage inflicted upon his poor vegetables, the increased heat setting only managed to fuck up the ingredients in the middle of the pan. The edges were still salvageable, and they were delicious as fuck. Ray grumbled and groaned as he washed dishes, being a dramatic asshole as Geoff raised the volume on the TV. He relaxed against the arm of the loveseat, feeling warm and full from a satisfying day with his omega.

He faded in and out of consciousness a few times before being jostled by a warm body next to him. He tipped his heavy head over to see Ray pulling the throw blanket off the back of the sofa and draping it over his outstretched legs. The omega yawned, lifting one of Geoff’s arms and leaning into the gent’s chest. 

This was new.

To be fair, they had done something akin to cuddling when Ray was scent drunk off his ass, but it wasn’t intentional and was fairly short lived. Ray was clear-headed now. He actively made the choice to insert himself in Geoff’s (theoretically capable) arms, and Geoff was having a hard time wrapping his head around it, “Whatcha doing Ray?” He asked quietly.

“Watching TV.”

Geoff avoided the urge to roll his eyes at the lad’s choice to ignore the obvious, “I meant the cuddling,” He ran his fingers through Ray’s hair, unable to stop himself with the lad so close and wonderful. He fit so well against his side, warm and comforting. Truthfully, Geoff liked having the company. He’d spent far too long coming back to an empty apartment, passing out on the couch on nights like these. Having an omega was new and exciting, and it made his nights a lot less lonely, “Is this okay?” He wanted to make sure the lad didn’t feel /obligated/ to show affection.

Ray didn’t answer him. He continued to watch TV, eventually reaching up to remove Geoff’s fingers from his hair. At first he was afraid he’d done something wrong, but the lad just intertwined their fingers and held tight.

Geoff chose not to push it. He let himself relax with Ray at his side, occasionally peering over to make sure the lad didn’t look uncomfortable. The lad never looked upset, only deep in thought.

One episode turned into three, and Geoff was seconds away from passing out when Ray finally moved. The lad craned his neck up to look at him, and Geoff smiled down at the tired omega. 

Ray unleashed his flurry of thoughts in a simple question, “Why were you a single alpha?”

Geoff stared at the lad for a minute, not quite sure if he heard him correctly. The lad didn’t seem like he was accusing him of anything, he was just curious, “...Why do you want to know?”

Ray shrugged against the gent’s chest, “You thought it was weird that me and Michael didn’t have alphas, but alphas get into relationships early too. You and Ryan are a lot older than other alphas.” He squeezed the gent’s hand, “Are you like us?”

The pack alpha never really thought of it like that. He never really thought about his late start in the courting game to be a strange thing. He was strangely unnerved by Ray’s final question- are you like us- because it implied that there was something wrong with being late to court and claim, “I mean, I don’t know if I would say it like that, but…” he turned the volume down on the TV, “I guess you could say that it was never the right time or place.”

“But you’re a pack alpha. Pack alphas are super powerful, right? You could’ve had any omega you wanted.”

He made a disapproving grunt, “Just because I’m a pack alpha doesn’t mean people always liked me. I used to be a pretty big nerd before I presented.”

The lad chuckled, “You’re still a pretty big nerd.”

“Yeah, I am,” he smiled, “And presenting didn’t change that about me, but suddenly omegas would cling to my side and alphas would try to get buddy buddy with me and ride off my status. The first few years after I became an alpha were confusing to say the least.”

The omega watched him carefully, “...I didn’t know it was hard for you too.... I thought alphas just had it easy.”

“Some do,” the gent admitted, “The ones who know how to be what society wants them to be have a great time. If you don’t act like an alpha, things are a bit more complicated.” 

Ray sat up a bit more, shifting into a more comfortable position where he could watch the gent, “Tell me.” He seemed fully engrossed in what the alpha had to say.

The words came easy to him, “I presented when I was fifteen and I really didn’t think it fit. I wasn’t like any of the alphas in my high school. Once they all found out about my status they tried to absorb me into their friend group, but I was happy with who I had. A lot of my friends were betas, and I wasn’t interested in pursuing anything with my omega friends.

“Truthfully, being a pack alpha made more sense than a normal one. Pack alphas were supposed to be strong and protective and, while I wasn’t that strong, I sure as hell was protective. My friend group was my pack. I’d watch out for them. I’d help them when they were lonely or sick. I loved helping my omega friends through their heats- it never was a sexual thing for me, I just liked knowing they were safe.”

Ray snickered under his breath, “So you were always being an intrusive asshole, trying to help people with heats?”

He smiled down at the omega, “Pretty much.”

He never actively thought about why he was single for so long, but it was fairly clear as he explained his life to Ray, “I guess, when it came down to it, I was more preoccupied with being a pack alpha than being someone’s mate. I always felt this need to protect others, and my protectiveness probably overrode my desire for courting and shit.” He supposed it made sense. He never thought to question if he felt anything more than protective worry over the omegas he coaxed through heat. When he /did/ find himself sexually attracted to someone, doubt would creep into his mind. He never really knew how to separate his role as a potential mate and his role as a pack alpha; when the two directly conflicted, he would ignore his dick. Being a pack alpha was often easier than navigating his labyrinth of feelings.

Ray smiled at him, “I guess that makes sense for you. You were protective as fuck from day one. I’ve never met anyone with more self-control around omegas either.” He playfully swung the gent’s hand around, “How did you figure out your feelings for me though? You- you /do/ have feelings for me, right?”

Geoff cackled, leaning over to kiss Ray’s forehead, “Yes I have feelings for you.” It didn’t take him very long to figure it out, “I thought you were attractive from the first moment I met you. You were protective and assertive, and I thought you smelled so damn good.” He lifted Ray’s wrist to his nose to accentuate his point, “I tried to push it aside at first because you were quite clear you didn’t want an alpha around, but we all know how that turned out. A lot of times in the past it was easy to blame my affection towards others on my desire to protect them as part of my pack- not you. You were someone I wanted to court from the start.” He was shocked at how easy he knew that he wanted Ray as a mate when he met him. 

He finally reached the end of his long-winded response to Ray’s question, “So, I guess the reason I am an older single alpha is because I never really wanted to be more than a pack alpha. Until I met you,” he added with a flirty wink.

Ray seemed satisfied with this answer, pulling on his hoodie strings to avoid eye contact, “You’re a good alpha,” he said, curling back up against him.

“And how would you define a good alpha?” He teased.

“Shut the fuck up.” He sighed against the alpha’s chest, “Do you know why Ryan was single for so long?”

Geoff thought about it, and it dawned on him that he really didn’t know, “No, sorry.” The gents had known each other for about six years. He knew the fellow alpha was wary of Geoff when they first met, but aside from that, he didn’t know much about his past relationships, “If I find out I’ll let you know.”

“Please do.” Ray yawned, “I like knowing I can trust you two.”

The verbal confirmation that Ray trusted him made his heart flutter, but he wondered what trust had to do with being single alphas, “How do the two factors relate?”

“I was a bit afraid that you two were single because of something bad. A lot of times, when alphas are older, its because they’re dicks. Or they hurt omegas. Or they lost a mate. It makes me feel better knowing it’s not one of those three.”

Geoff was glad it wasn’t one of those three either, “Glad I could give you a peace of mind.”

Ray suddenly sat up, grabbing Geoff’s other hand and holding them both in front of him, “Geoff, I trust you.” He stared at the alpha with the same intensity that he would a difficult video game, “I want to move forward with you.”

Move forward? Geoff felt heat in his chest travel south as he realized what the lad meant, “...Physically?”

Ray nodded, squeezing Geoff’s hands tighter, “Things like this- right now- are fine because im present. Things only get bad when I’m in heat. Or scent drunk. Bad things only happen when I feel like I lose control.”

It was Geoff’s turn to nod. He’d noticed how the lad had terrible heats; he’d be more emotionally drained than anything else by the time it was over. He knew that, both times Geoff had witnessed painful flashbacks, the lad was scent drunk or in a stage of pre-heat. He sure as fuck noticed when the absence of control led to a panic attack. The memories came back when Ray lost control of himself, either physically or mentally.

Ray cleared his throat, “I don’t want to be like this forever Geoff. I want to have good heats. I want to lose control and still be okay because I know you’ll take control for me.” His voice quavered, and Geoff could only imagine that these revelations had been swimming in the lad’s head for awhile, “It’s gonna fucking suck. I’m gonna need to willingly give up control, and it’s probably gonna be a marathon of bad memories. I still want to try though. Will you help me?”

Geoff watched his omega in awe. This was not the same Ray he met at the front door over a year ago. That Ray would never consider putting himself in a situation where he couldn’t feel in control. That Ray wouldn’t set foot in an alpha’s house or even consider letting one refer to him as ‘his’ omega. That Ray would never ask for help.

This was a new Ray. /His/ Ray. Geoff loved seeing how much the lad had changed for the better.

He couldn’t wait to see how the lad would continue to change in the future too, “Of course.” He kissed Ray, simply because he wanted to and he could. Ray kissed him back, abandoning his hands to wrap his skilled fingers around Geoff’s neck.

The omega pulled back, giving the gent a shit-eating grin, “That’s my alpha.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for supporting me through Part 1! I am really happy with how this part turned out, and I get so excited when you all comment and tell me what you like/ what you're interested in hearing more about!!! I appreciate each and every single one of you <3
> 
> I have to take a few weeks to finish writing and polishing the prequel, along with finish some assignments for grad school (being a graduate student with two jobs isn't easy!!). Don't worry- I will be back soon (Estimated time of prequel posts starting: approx. 2-3 weeks). There is still a lot of story to tell. There's so much more backstory for ALL the characters (including some you haven't met yet) and relationship dynamics left to be explored!! More ace representation and PLENTY more angry omegas to enjoy <3
> 
> Thank you for reading <3 Let me know what else you want to see from our lovely alphas and omegas in the comments and I'll find a place for it in the story <3


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